The New Place

What you'll probably see over the next few weeks (months and years) are a series of before and after shots of various places in the house. The new pad is in Upper Lonsdale. We're ecstatic about the area as we had researched top areas in the GVA for top public schools. We really wanted to stay on the North Shore or get back to westside Vancouver. The house is a little older (46 years old with expansions along the way) but Geneva and I really wanted a house that we could ad some significant value too, versus buying brand new. The lot is huge, it's a 80' x 122' corner lot with a great view of downtown and of the waters south of Caulfield (you can see sunsets and barges in the water)... picture views really don't do it justice.

Like the condo, we really lucked out. The previous owner's name was Joyce. She's a three-year widow and a lovely lady with numerous grandkids and kids. I think that the combination of having seen a number of "low-ball" offers for teardown experts, her being emotionally attached to the house, and meeting Sydney when we were doing offers made a lot of things fall in our favour. Even our mortgage broker said that it's rare to get a good a deal as we got on this place. We'll always be grateful to Joyce and her family for cutting us a break on the house, and we'll really do our best to protect the karma of this place.

Here are the first four pictures from the pad:
1. Geve, me and Syd and out first dinner in: indian food. yes, Sydney eats Indian.
2. A western view of the water's south of West Vancouver. Not pictured are the views of Cypress and Grouse Mountain.
3. A southwestern view of downtown which is stunning at night.
4. Popo and Sydney crusing around the yard.

This weekend we're knee deep in bathroom renos. More to come.

Can't wait for the next few visitors: Popo again (she's already don some amazing garden work, we'll take pictures), Dave Suh and hopefully Thomas too on Tuesday night, Ian-Kath-Caden later in the month, Jono and Lesley, and of course Rob and Tanya whenever they want to come over... :)

My two favourites

Not EA and the Oilers... I tell them every morning that they are my two favourites, because they are.

April 5: Goodbye old home

April 5, 2008. 510-580 Ravenwoods Drive

Hard to believe that we that we moved into the condo three and a half years ago. Then again, I can't believe that Sydney is already a year and a half. I remember when Geneva and I were first looking for a place. We ruled out Vancouver because of the cost, and were really hoping that our first place would be a house or a townhouse. The primary goal was "great value." We were driving around North Vancouver at open houses and decided to duck into the building with a huge sign that said "Seasons". It turned out that the brand new complex had only one unit available (a penthouse suite) and that despite the building being a year old, the unit had never been owned because it had fallen through financing twice. Geneva was sold on penthouse and forest view (after years in a basement apt in Kits and 3am sirens) and I was sold on the fact that the place had appreciated in value for a year in a hot market and we were buying at the ticket price from the pre-sell. The opposite of buying a car... at least when we moved in I knew that day we had earned the equivalent of my salary (at that time) for one year.

Looking back, there are so many great things that happened there and we have such wonderful memories with people close to us. I remember our first night in the condo. Geve and I had a pizza dinner, we had on lamps or lights, we had our $20 TV from Nintendo, we used our blue tupperware bins and two ivar shelves as a coffee table, and we were watching hockey highlights (I remember desperately needing Kovalchuk to get points for my NOCLHL pool... good ol' Kovi at $0.20). It's amazing how much life can change.

I'm grateful for everyone that came to visit us over the years, especially our little one who's with us on a more permanent basis. Sydney, you probably won't remember that you loved looking out your bedroom window and watching the "woof-woof"s and "beedies" walking and flying by.

Goodbye 510 - 580 Ravenwoods. We'll miss you, Honey's Donuts, and Crab Shack fish 'n' chips.

April Videos

Tulip tour: Insisting on touching every tulip she can


"Baby baby, can't you hear my heart beat..."


Book time with Mommy

Po Po Gong Gong Po Po Gong Gong.....April Visit pictures

What a busy week!
Thank you to Gong Gong and Po Po for driving down all of Sydney's new toys and the stove!!!!!
Yup ..... a stove. It's free. Any hand-me-down for our new place is a welcome gift :)

Highlights:
playing with Sydney's new car in the garden
Costco ice cream cone yum yum!!!!!
The tulips in Washington - it was sunny, rainy, windy, hailing, and cold. Mommy had brought everything from mittens and a toque to a rain suit!
Sydney and a funny picture with her Great Uncle George
Food, food and more food. Beer chicken, playing the Wii with cousin Max, Po Po playing Mahjong with her sisters.