Good Reads

Isn’t it always the way it goes when you put a hold on books at the library and they all come in at the same time?  I had five books on hold, some for several months, some just a week, and they all arrived within two weeks.  Seriously, doesn’t the library know how busy I am right now? 

I picked up all the books but certainly had to prioritize reading them and sadly The Thirteen Tale, which I had been thinking about reading for a couple years now, had to go back unread (for now).

One of the ones that I did read was call The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared.  Despite the title being ridiculously long, it was a great read.  Think of a Forrest Gump character who lives to be 100 and is an explosive’s expert.  Living through the 20th Century was a time when that would come in handy, from World Wars, to Communism, to the Spanish Revolution and the nuclear arms race.  They revert between his 100 years of living plus his present day escape from the Old Folk’s Home.  It was a lighthearted read that was full of accidental good fortune and ridiculous coincidences.  

I know I don’t talk much about books on my blog, but this one is a fun read that most people would enjoy so I’m happy to recommend it.

Excitement on the Horizon

Another busy week has just finished up.  If you don’t already know, Dave and I bought a condo last week.  That was…hectic!  After the home inspection, reading copious strata minutes and depreciation and engineering reports, figuring out finances and praying that this was the right place, time, and location, we set everything in motion. We take ownership on June 7th, less than three weeks from know!  Our new home is at 19th and Main, just seven blocks from my current basement apartment, in our favourite neighbourhood on Main Street.  We are really excited, but of course that means that a whole bunch of other things are set in motion for me to move.  I won’t go into the million things that need to get done for that, but everything is moving along really well, though it is very tiring.  Good thing is, it’s the long weekend and it’s time to have some rest (after having dealt with several condo and wedding related things today).

Here is a sneak peak at our new place (look at all the light!):

This morning Dave, I, and some other friends took a tour of the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver.  Our amazing friend, Jacqueline, is living there with a group of students for 5 weeks building relationships and getting a better understanding of life in the poorest neighbourhood in Canada.  I saw drugs being exchanged, a man shooting up, but I also saw lots of smiles, friends connecting, people sharing and felt a sense of community in an area that most people try to stay away from.  We also got to eat at The Carnegie, which I have been wanting to check out since I moved here.  It is an amazing building at the corner of Hastings and Main, right at the centre of the action.  Delicious meals are made for people all week for a tiny cost of $2.25.  We had a great lunch and explored a great resource for the homeless and low income people in the area.  It was really eye opening, and I enjoyed the experience.

This afternoon I went to a cafe and made the first piece of bunting for a project for the wedding.  I’m following a pattern that was created for a knitting event in Portland by Happy Knits, a local yarn store there.  You can see a picture at the top of this post of what it will look like.  What a perfect way to add some knitting to the wedding decor and use our wedding colours to tie things together. Plus, they are super easy to knit up.  If you are interested in the pattern, check it out on Ravelry.  I’ll definitely be posting pictures of how it turned out after the wedding so you can see the finished piece.

Tonight, we are having a pie night: pizza pie and bumbleberry, apple streusel pie from The Pie Shoppe.  I have been wanting to try this pie place for months, so I’m excited to get my pie on!  

I hope you all have an awesome night and a great long weekend.  Be sure to rest, get some sun and get some knitting done!

Busy As All Get Out

First off, if you downloaded my pattern, Keefer Cowl,  thank you!  I currently have over 200 downloads.  It is so exciting to see that people like what you spend so much time creating.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!  It is a great push forward for the next pattern, which I have an idea for already, now I just need to find the time.

Next, Dave and I got our engagement photos back.  The Nickersons did an awesome job and we had so much fun doing the shoot.  I never thought I would care if I had engagement photos, but these turned out so well.  Here are a couple of my favourites:

So many more things are in the works right now.  Something pretty big, that I hope to share soon, and several little things like getting invitations for the wedding finished and out the door.

So, enjoy your weekend everyone.  I know I will, as soon as I get a spare second to breath!