Parents' Visit!

At Ogden point with Mom & Dad!

So many things happening these two weeks! Thankfully I'm off of work due to March break in the primary schools, but if I wasn't I don't know what I would have done! My parents came to visit, me and Jon's anniversary is today, we're heading to Tofino for whale fest on Friday, and then Jon's birthday is next Wednesday! Wheh! 

A lot packed into such short period of time, which summarizes my parents' visit fairly well. With only two full days and two half days, there wasn't a lot of time to spend with them, but I'm happy with the time we had together and everything we got to see! 

At Butchart Gardens

The first day was fairly low-key with a small trip to Fantan Alley and then to Beacon Hill Park and the log beach. They lucked out with very little rain for the whole trip, so they got a fantastic view of the Olympic Mountains the entire time! That following day we spent at Butchart Gardens where everything was just about coming up. I decided to get a year membership to the gardens so I can visit again in a month. Even though there weren't as many blossoms as I was expecting, my parents loved it there and I think it inspired my mom to start working on her garden! Afterward we took a short drive up Mount Douglas to catch a great panoramic view of Victoria and the surrounding islands and mountains.

At Mount Doug with Mount Baker in the distance.

On Friday we went to the Royal BC museum and then walked around the Inner Harbour to see the Parliament building and The Empress hotel. My parents loved the look of the Parliament building, especially all lit up at night! Friday was spent browsing some comic shops and other cute stores and ended with a bittersweet goodbye at the ferry terminal. I was sad to see them go, but hopefully they'll come out again while we're still here to see some more of the island! The farthest away we drove was to Butchart Gardens, and I would love to show them the wild nature of this lovely place.

In other news, I just wanted to mention was a sweet, thoughtful gift my friend Gillian gave me! She read my previous recipe blog post about my lack of avocado in my kale salad and decided to give me an avocado the next time we saw each other! Maybe because it was such a lovely and unexpected gift, but I believe it was the best avocado I've ever had.

Avocado bliss!

Whoops.

Totally forgetting to blog

Uh... sorry about that guys. I'm not quite sure where February went in the blog world. I do want to keep this blog up and running to keep everyone back home updated on my western adventures and any random passer-byers to get a peek. I still am bouncing around ideas for a wordy post in the future about marriage, gender, and changing last names (I haven't forgotten about you ladies!) along with a bunch of new recipes that I've been trying and will hopefully get the courage to do a fashion post in the near future.

In recent news, my good, dear friend Dana visited us from Philadelphia! She had a bit of a Pacific Northwest adventure and travelled from Seattle, to here in Victoria, to Vancouver, back to Seattle. I had so much fun spending time with her and showing her to my favorite restaurants and hiking spots. I introduced her to my circle of friends up here and she finally got to meet Mr. Clemens! I hope she comes and visits again soon, or better yet, fulfills her dream of moving to Seattle!

 Silly mountaintop antics

Taking a rest on top of a vista

Mt Baker as seen from the ferry to Vancouver

I've also been doing a fair amount of hiking with some friends here. I'm getting rather spoiled with this lifestyle, and am afraid I'm already used to it. My job only runs until the end of school and at that point I'll be unemployed. I've talked for months about finding a morning job to carry me over during the summer, but I'm dreading giving up these perfect mornings for hiking. Practicality is so boring.

Snowy Cascades in the distance

My hiking buddies

Why work when you can have this???

I promise to post again soon with camera updates, new recipes, and my visitors coming next week: My parents!!