Year in Review - 2017
It's hard to believe another year has come and gone. I remember January going super slow and thinking maybe it'd be a nice slow pace year. Nope! February hit and bam! We blinked and here we are. I'm a little late in writing this, but better late than never!
As usual, here are our top 10 moments of 2017 (in no particular order):
10.) #girlsflytoo
This year, I got to take the girls on a a helicopter ride. We waited (not so) patiently for 2 hours in the pouring rain and the 5 minute ride was well worth it! The Sky's No Limit - Girls Fly Too is an annual event inspiring future leaders. If you have never been on a small air craft before, check out the website for the 2018 event. I promise you won't regret it!
9.) Bucket List Item
It's been on Bryan and my bucket list to see Tony Robbins for a long time. So when he came to Vancouver to speak, Bryan and I jumped on the tickets. There's no question, Tony's energy is infectious and it was amazing to see how he can transform a room.
8.) Kelly
It's not very often my sister and I talk on the phone. When we do though, you know it's serious. So when she called me out of the blue one day, I knew something was up. She had just finished all of her pre-req for grad school (speech pathology) and was anxiously waiting for her acceptance to either UBC or U of A. Indeed she got the call and got into the school of her choice! (UBC) It all started 2 (maybe 3?) years ago when she came up to me and told me how unhappy she was at her job. I told her to make a list of who she'd like to "be" when she finds her ideal job. And below was her list (thank you Sarah for making this for her!). She made the list in an hour, got an inspiration the next day to become a speech therapist. And then decided to quit her very good paying and great forever career job a month later. She enrolled into school and studied super hard for 2 years and the rest is history! I cannot be more proud of you Kelly!
7.) Josh
My sister's boyfriend Josh messaged me one day and said, "hey, is Mama Chan going to be home tonight after 7 pm? I want to come over and ask her something." My heart jumped, I just knew what was coming! It took everything in me to hide my excitement. When he came over (with Mama Chan's favorite treat - ice cream with nuts) and told us his plan to propose to Kelly, I may or may not have teared up. And to keep it a secret for the rest of the week? It was torture! 2017 was a great year for Kelly - she got into grad school and she got engaged! We cannot wait to welcome Josh into the family!
6.) Insurance
Earlier this year, Bryan went out to their annual daddy's night out (because you know, daddies are only organized enough to plan something once a year, lol). They took a party bus to watch a hockey game. At about 11 pm, I got a message from one of my mommy friends: "did Bryan lose his teeth?" Turned out, at the end of the game, Bryan and the crew were leaving the arena, and someone who was in a hurry tripped Bryan down the stairs, he fell, and lost his 4 front teeth! Fortunately, the medics were there and put his teeth in milk. My sister came to my rescue and was by Bryan's side the whole time while I was home with the kids. Miraculously, our amazing dentist Dr. Tham came to our rescue and worked on Bryan from 1 am to 3 am on a Friday evening. And you know what was even more awesome? My extended health benefits ended up covering 100% of what would've been a $15,000 bill! So yup, while it sucked that Bryan was hurt and has been called Toothless by the ones that love him most, we are grateful that for amazing people and insurance in our lives!
5.) Camping
I'm just going to copy and paste what I wrote on facebook - this was amazing:
So a couple of years ago, when I was preggo with Al, we went camping at Lynden KOA and Mackenzie made a friend named Maya. They played for a couple of days and then we went home.
Every day after that for I don't remember how long, Mack would ask for Maya. She'd cry because she missed her so much. I tried to explain to her that we will most likely never see her again because I had no idea where she even lived. Mack asked me to go knock on the doors in the States and find her.
Last year, when we went camping to the same place again, Mack asked about Maya. Sad again that she wasn't there. Being a year older, I thought I could reason with her. No, we won't see Maya again. The no just didn't seem to stick. She just missed Maya (who she played with for only 2 days) so much.
This year, we went to Lynden KOA twice early in the summer. Mack tried to go back to where Maya's campsite was 2 years ago to see if she was camping there. Nope. Thankfully, Mackenzie made new friends (I made sure this time that I made friends with the mom - so we didn't have to go through this again!), but never forgot about Maya.
We headed to Lynden KOA for the third time this year and Mack said to me, "mom, we're going to see Maya this time." Clearly not getting through to my now 6-year old that this will just never happen, I said, "sure, maybe we will."
On Saturday, a woman came up to me at the general store and said to me, "Can I ask you a weird question?" Of course I said, thinking she'd ask me something about our site or our kids. Then she said, "your daughter Mackenzie, were you guys camping here 2 years ago?"
I turned to her and went, "Don't tell me. You're Maya's mom?"
Guys - after 2 years of me telling Mackenzie that no, it was impossible to find her friend again, they reunited. Maya's mom Dana and I marveled at how crazy this reunion was. Turned out, Maya has been asking for Mackenzie for the last 2 years too. It's amazing what 2 little minds who persist can attract. They created this beautiful serendipity and now we'll never lose touch again!
Moral of the story? Never say never. When you feel all hope is lost? Remember that a 4-year old was willing to knock on every door in the US to find her friend. Oh Mackenzie, I hope you will always carry this optimism with you in life and teach us to do the same. Thank you for proving me wrong again and teaching me an important lesson on focusing on yes, instead of no.
4.) Renovations
When we moved into our new house last summer, we knew there was a lot of work ahead of us. We set aside a budget, consulted our designer Carmel (Beckman Design) and decided to almost double our budget. Our contractor told us it would take about 9-10 weeks. That turned into 17 very stressful weeks where we ate out for 11 of those weeks (hello extra 20 pounds)!
To say we were stressed during that time would be an understatement. There was a week where every single one of us had the flu and were confined in a very tiny space. There was a period of 5 days where we had no hot water. They uncovered one problem after another. But you know what we got at the end? Yes, we got this amazingly beautiful and functional space. We also met some pretty amazing people along the way. We also learned to say yes to help. It really does take a village! Thank you to everyone who endured us those 17 weeks!
3.) Hong Kong/Disneyland
4 years ago, when we went back to Hong Kong for a visit, my grandma said to me, "I wake up every morning and wonder, why am I still here?" It was heartbreaking to hear. My grandma was old then, and I honestly thought that was the last time we would see her. Little did I know that her soul would continue to hang on. So this year, when a seat sale came on (the 5 of us flew for $2800 return!), we decided to go back one more time.
This was a special trip. Our kids were older this time (Al was the same age Mackenzie was when she first went!). The moment we went to see my grandma, I knew this was the trip to remember. It took 2 trips to remember who I was, and she seemed just so happy to see her grand children. She is 92 (or 93?) now. I'm grateful our kids all got to see their great grandmother.
This time around, we decided to take the kids to Disneyland in Hong Kong! I don't know who was more excited. Us or the kids! This Disneyland was the perfect size for us and we were able to see 90% of everything in 2 days. The kids got to see all the princesses and characters within 10-15 mins of waiting. They loved all the rides and it was simply magical watching them. Thank you Sarah for the Peter Pan costume (Al was so popular, tourists were taking pictures of him). And thank you Priscilla and Heidi for being our guides! The kids miss you!
2.) Neighbors
Raising kids is hard. Raising kids now is even harder. With a lot of fear about protecting our children, it's hard to let them have "risky outdoor play" or let them make their own mistakes without being labeled as a neglectful parent. So when we moved into this house and found out there were 8 other kids (11 including ours) that live in this cul de sac, it was like a dream come true. Our kids get to explore on their own in this amazing neighborhood of ours and our house is constantly stocked with snacks for the kids who come through our door. I don't know if our children know how blessed they truly are, but I know it's us that have gained the most. Our neighbors would clear our driveway when they have a moment, make us a meal, look after our children, take care of the house when we're gone, and just love us no matter what. We could not have asked for a better cul de sac to move into. I can only hope we can give you back as much as we've gained from you since we moved in.
1.) Most of you already know the story of Lucy. If not, you can read it here. It was a very very heartbreak experience. But you know what has been amazing? The support. It's hard to believe my post has been shared over 2700 times. I've had countless strangers messaging me offering support, help with finding the next pup, and many people who offered to adopt Lucy for us and give her back to us. To all of you - thank you. In such a heartless moment, you were all there to lift us up.
I wish we had an update for you. At this point, we have no clue where Lucy ended up. If you know where she is, or know someone who adopted her, we'd love to know. While our hearts would love her back, we'd never try to take her away from whatever loving home she might be in now. All we'd like to know is that she's safe and loved. Lucy taught us that there's no shortage of love even in just 6 days. She showed us how to be good pet parents. We miss her so very very much. We hope she is happy cuddling up in a blanket somewhere warm.
That pretty much wrapped up 2017. There were many many more moments and many more people we are so blessed to have in our lives. Thank you for keeping us grounded. We hope 2017 wrapped up nicely for you and here's to 2018. May this year be the best year yet.
Happy New Year everyone!
-Carly
As usual, here are our top 10 moments of 2017 (in no particular order):
10.) #girlsflytoo
This year, I got to take the girls on a a helicopter ride. We waited (not so) patiently for 2 hours in the pouring rain and the 5 minute ride was well worth it! The Sky's No Limit - Girls Fly Too is an annual event inspiring future leaders. If you have never been on a small air craft before, check out the website for the 2018 event. I promise you won't regret it!
9.) Bucket List Item
It's been on Bryan and my bucket list to see Tony Robbins for a long time. So when he came to Vancouver to speak, Bryan and I jumped on the tickets. There's no question, Tony's energy is infectious and it was amazing to see how he can transform a room.
8.) Kelly
It's not very often my sister and I talk on the phone. When we do though, you know it's serious. So when she called me out of the blue one day, I knew something was up. She had just finished all of her pre-req for grad school (speech pathology) and was anxiously waiting for her acceptance to either UBC or U of A. Indeed she got the call and got into the school of her choice! (UBC) It all started 2 (maybe 3?) years ago when she came up to me and told me how unhappy she was at her job. I told her to make a list of who she'd like to "be" when she finds her ideal job. And below was her list (thank you Sarah for making this for her!). She made the list in an hour, got an inspiration the next day to become a speech therapist. And then decided to quit her very good paying and great forever career job a month later. She enrolled into school and studied super hard for 2 years and the rest is history! I cannot be more proud of you Kelly!
7.) Josh
My sister's boyfriend Josh messaged me one day and said, "hey, is Mama Chan going to be home tonight after 7 pm? I want to come over and ask her something." My heart jumped, I just knew what was coming! It took everything in me to hide my excitement. When he came over (with Mama Chan's favorite treat - ice cream with nuts) and told us his plan to propose to Kelly, I may or may not have teared up. And to keep it a secret for the rest of the week? It was torture! 2017 was a great year for Kelly - she got into grad school and she got engaged! We cannot wait to welcome Josh into the family!
6.) Insurance
Earlier this year, Bryan went out to their annual daddy's night out (because you know, daddies are only organized enough to plan something once a year, lol). They took a party bus to watch a hockey game. At about 11 pm, I got a message from one of my mommy friends: "did Bryan lose his teeth?" Turned out, at the end of the game, Bryan and the crew were leaving the arena, and someone who was in a hurry tripped Bryan down the stairs, he fell, and lost his 4 front teeth! Fortunately, the medics were there and put his teeth in milk. My sister came to my rescue and was by Bryan's side the whole time while I was home with the kids. Miraculously, our amazing dentist Dr. Tham came to our rescue and worked on Bryan from 1 am to 3 am on a Friday evening. And you know what was even more awesome? My extended health benefits ended up covering 100% of what would've been a $15,000 bill! So yup, while it sucked that Bryan was hurt and has been called Toothless by the ones that love him most, we are grateful that for amazing people and insurance in our lives!
5.) Camping
I'm just going to copy and paste what I wrote on facebook - this was amazing:
So a couple of years ago, when I was preggo with Al, we went camping at Lynden KOA and Mackenzie made a friend named Maya. They played for a couple of days and then we went home.
Every day after that for I don't remember how long, Mack would ask for Maya. She'd cry because she missed her so much. I tried to explain to her that we will most likely never see her again because I had no idea where she even lived. Mack asked me to go knock on the doors in the States and find her.
Last year, when we went camping to the same place again, Mack asked about Maya. Sad again that she wasn't there. Being a year older, I thought I could reason with her. No, we won't see Maya again. The no just didn't seem to stick. She just missed Maya (who she played with for only 2 days) so much.
This year, we went to Lynden KOA twice early in the summer. Mack tried to go back to where Maya's campsite was 2 years ago to see if she was camping there. Nope. Thankfully, Mackenzie made new friends (I made sure this time that I made friends with the mom - so we didn't have to go through this again!), but never forgot about Maya.
We headed to Lynden KOA for the third time this year and Mack said to me, "mom, we're going to see Maya this time." Clearly not getting through to my now 6-year old that this will just never happen, I said, "sure, maybe we will."
On Saturday, a woman came up to me at the general store and said to me, "Can I ask you a weird question?" Of course I said, thinking she'd ask me something about our site or our kids. Then she said, "your daughter Mackenzie, were you guys camping here 2 years ago?"
I turned to her and went, "Don't tell me. You're Maya's mom?"
Guys - after 2 years of me telling Mackenzie that no, it was impossible to find her friend again, they reunited. Maya's mom Dana and I marveled at how crazy this reunion was. Turned out, Maya has been asking for Mackenzie for the last 2 years too. It's amazing what 2 little minds who persist can attract. They created this beautiful serendipity and now we'll never lose touch again!
Moral of the story? Never say never. When you feel all hope is lost? Remember that a 4-year old was willing to knock on every door in the US to find her friend. Oh Mackenzie, I hope you will always carry this optimism with you in life and teach us to do the same. Thank you for proving me wrong again and teaching me an important lesson on focusing on yes, instead of no.
4.) Renovations
When we moved into our new house last summer, we knew there was a lot of work ahead of us. We set aside a budget, consulted our designer Carmel (Beckman Design) and decided to almost double our budget. Our contractor told us it would take about 9-10 weeks. That turned into 17 very stressful weeks where we ate out for 11 of those weeks (hello extra 20 pounds)!
To say we were stressed during that time would be an understatement. There was a week where every single one of us had the flu and were confined in a very tiny space. There was a period of 5 days where we had no hot water. They uncovered one problem after another. But you know what we got at the end? Yes, we got this amazingly beautiful and functional space. We also met some pretty amazing people along the way. We also learned to say yes to help. It really does take a village! Thank you to everyone who endured us those 17 weeks!
3.) Hong Kong/Disneyland
4 years ago, when we went back to Hong Kong for a visit, my grandma said to me, "I wake up every morning and wonder, why am I still here?" It was heartbreaking to hear. My grandma was old then, and I honestly thought that was the last time we would see her. Little did I know that her soul would continue to hang on. So this year, when a seat sale came on (the 5 of us flew for $2800 return!), we decided to go back one more time.
This was a special trip. Our kids were older this time (Al was the same age Mackenzie was when she first went!). The moment we went to see my grandma, I knew this was the trip to remember. It took 2 trips to remember who I was, and she seemed just so happy to see her grand children. She is 92 (or 93?) now. I'm grateful our kids all got to see their great grandmother.
This time around, we decided to take the kids to Disneyland in Hong Kong! I don't know who was more excited. Us or the kids! This Disneyland was the perfect size for us and we were able to see 90% of everything in 2 days. The kids got to see all the princesses and characters within 10-15 mins of waiting. They loved all the rides and it was simply magical watching them. Thank you Sarah for the Peter Pan costume (Al was so popular, tourists were taking pictures of him). And thank you Priscilla and Heidi for being our guides! The kids miss you!
2.) Neighbors
Raising kids is hard. Raising kids now is even harder. With a lot of fear about protecting our children, it's hard to let them have "risky outdoor play" or let them make their own mistakes without being labeled as a neglectful parent. So when we moved into this house and found out there were 8 other kids (11 including ours) that live in this cul de sac, it was like a dream come true. Our kids get to explore on their own in this amazing neighborhood of ours and our house is constantly stocked with snacks for the kids who come through our door. I don't know if our children know how blessed they truly are, but I know it's us that have gained the most. Our neighbors would clear our driveway when they have a moment, make us a meal, look after our children, take care of the house when we're gone, and just love us no matter what. We could not have asked for a better cul de sac to move into. I can only hope we can give you back as much as we've gained from you since we moved in.
1.) Most of you already know the story of Lucy. If not, you can read it here. It was a very very heartbreak experience. But you know what has been amazing? The support. It's hard to believe my post has been shared over 2700 times. I've had countless strangers messaging me offering support, help with finding the next pup, and many people who offered to adopt Lucy for us and give her back to us. To all of you - thank you. In such a heartless moment, you were all there to lift us up.
I wish we had an update for you. At this point, we have no clue where Lucy ended up. If you know where she is, or know someone who adopted her, we'd love to know. While our hearts would love her back, we'd never try to take her away from whatever loving home she might be in now. All we'd like to know is that she's safe and loved. Lucy taught us that there's no shortage of love even in just 6 days. She showed us how to be good pet parents. We miss her so very very much. We hope she is happy cuddling up in a blanket somewhere warm.
That pretty much wrapped up 2017. There were many many more moments and many more people we are so blessed to have in our lives. Thank you for keeping us grounded. We hope 2017 wrapped up nicely for you and here's to 2018. May this year be the best year yet.
Happy New Year everyone!
-Carly
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