Blake + Rachel

Blake and Rachel, we wish you many, many years!

This weekend we returned to Bellingham and Camp Firwood to celebrate with some of our closest friends. Blake was instrumental in getting Brian and me together and stood by our side in *both* of our weddings. Since then, he has been a constant friend -- the only non-family member to stay in all of our houses, including Beijing. We are just getting to know Rachel, but our family has already grown fond of her.

Brian was excited to give a toast to his friend. 

The quote of the night: "talked him off the monastic ledge"

I enjoyed catching up with dear friends throughout the entire weekend. 

The girls played and danced and got a first glimpse at the special place where their parents' relationship began. 

Celebrating 10 Years with Tin!

Each year Brian and I try to incorporate the traditional wedding gift into our anniversary celebration. Tin is the gift for 10 years. We brought back old memories of how we met at Camp Firwood and cooked some tin-foil dinners on the BBQ, while we house-sat for my parents. A big thanks to Auntie Alli and Uncle Taylor for taking our girls for the night!

Canada Day 2012

Our first visit to Brian's home and native land after our year in China was fittingly Canada Day. We had a great evening reconnecting with Great Grandma, Auntie Lori, Uncle Travis, Cousins Noah and Ella, Grandma and Grandpa Rush, and of course, our dog Trudy. We ended our visit with a quick trip to White Rock Beach for some fireworks.