Last week I got back from my trip to the West Coast. Some sort of survival mechanism kicks in and I forget how beautiful it is to live in BC - mountains, ocean, and clearcuts...er, forests. Living on the Prairies for the last three years has given me a new appreciation for "the land of the cold and the flat", but I LOVE the moment when I step off the plane in Victoria and smell the salty air.

During my flight out I was sitting next to a woman on her first trip to the left coast. She was very nice, and kept asking "what's that river?", and "what's that mountain?". To which I replied, "what province are we over?", and "some random part of the Rocky Mountains" respectively. Geography - not my strong point (irony?).

I spent a few days in Victoria, spending time with the dogs, "assisting" dad with house stuff (i.e. fetching drinks, critiquing, and pushing glass out of windows), hanging out with mom, and generally not doing too much. We ventured up island to Nanoose Bay for a couple of nights, and it really is a beautiful area.

I took the ferry from Nanaimo to Vancouver where I met Meghan; we cruised downtown for some window shopping and Starbucksing (is that a verb? did I just verb a noun?). We harassed some random guy who was foolish enough to sit next to us when we were at our caffeinated best. I say harassed, but he didn't seem to mind. Who studies medical books in Starbucks? Go to a library buddy.

On our way back, we hit the Keg in Delta, indulged in some light dinner/drinks, went back to her house and played cribbage (I beat the Master - though that was a stroke of luck), and made our famous spinach and artichoke dip! All in all, we packed quite a bit into a short time.

Sarah came out the next morning, and the three of us went for brunch at Milestone's. It was a delicious meal, and we had mimosas and celebratory cake for Sarah's birthday (it was technically a while ago, but we never got a chance to celebrate). Sarah and I spent the day together, did IKEA, and then had a bbq at her friend's house. We got up dreadfully early the next morning (I'm talking 5 am) to catch the 7 am boat back to Vic. She went to the dentist, and I spent time with her sister and three adorable little girls.

As much as I really don't do mornings, I have to say that I appreciated the view from the ferry that morning more than I ever have before. I used to make that ferry trip all the time, and became accustomed to the scenery, but seeing it again was spectacular. It was too cold to go outside (the MEC fleece came after the Vancouver trip!), but the view from the buffet lounge was amazing.

Then it was a few more days around Victoria - we fit in a trip downtown for sushi/bento boxes at Yokohama, a trip to Lush (thanks to Dan) and MEC, the old Spaghetti factory (a family tradition), and I got to see the Spirit Bears, located all through Victoria.

My one bone of contention was the weather - it was hot the week before I arrived, freezing the week I was there, and warm again after I left. I kidnapped my dad's fleece for the better part of the week I was there - sorry about that Dad!

And now I'm back in Toon town, getting work done and generally getting back into the swing of things. It's warmer here, which makes me happy, but it's overcast and the weather is volatile, which gives me headaches that last for days (headaches = unhappy). Anyway, I'm back, for better or worse, and I have to say, it was nice be home.