Nice and Slow

This weekend was pretty uneventful... We really had no major plans--no set schedule, nowhere to go, nothing truly important to do... just the way we wanted it :-)

I previously wrote about going to the beach, but it turned out mom got sick (which is the first time in a REALLY LOOOONG time according to her), but by Saturday afternoon, she was well enough that we spent the afternoon wandering around Tallahassee Nurseries. I was so glad she was able to come with us... she really knows her gardening well! We got a bunch of hydrangeas (for the backyard) and impateins (for the front porch), and afterwards, mom did a walk-through of our backyard with Rob and I. We decided on which trees to cut, what to do with our garden plans and we set next weekend to do all the yard work. Mom seems to be more excited about transforming our backyard into something quite similar to hers--Yeah, I wish!!! She's also ready to get rid of our deck, so we can replace it with a patio... but I'm not sure we'll have enough time to do all that right now... But at least, having the trees cleared and planting more flowery shrubs are a good start for our home improvement projects this year... I guess that will be my workout next weekend then :-)

Last night, we had dinner with mom and dad, then afterwards we watched "Little Miss Sunshine." It was pretty good, but not THAT GREAT, so I really don't see what the fuss is all about???

Oh and Saturday night, my dad and I finally booked our Vancouver trip. We were iffy about the dates, but now it's official. We're leaving Thursday night, April 26th and coming back May 8th! I'm starting to get more excited because now we have our tickets... and Rob and I should be getting our passports this week too! We applied for our passports in January, but since they started requiring passports for travels to Canada and the Bahamas this year, it has been such a busy time for The US Department of State. So it's taking them a lot longer than usual.

I started looking for accommodations in Whistler... We could either rent a condo or get a hotel, but since condos are inconvenient (no maids, no concierge, no room service) and are a lot farther from the ski lifts and gondolas, (plus they require a minimum stay of 1 week)--a hotel would be much better. The thing is, we need a hotel suite for 7 people--my mom and dad, my aunt and uncle, Rob and I, and my grandma--and has a great location, preferably in the Village square so it'll be close to the ski lifts, shops and restaurants.

I found the perfect hotel that covers all our needs... I'm booking it next month, because I'm not sure which days (of our entire trip), will be spent in Whistler yet. The hotel I found is the Sundial Boutique in the middle of Whistler Village. It is right across the Whistler ski lifts and the Blackcomb Gondolas. The street it sits on is lined with various restaurants and shops and they have a 2-bedroom suite with a separate kitchen, dining room and living rooms--big enough to sleep 7 people... Here are pictures from their website...

The Sundial Boutique in Whistler Village Center


The ski lifts are right outside the hotel


The lobby


The concierge desk


The living room


The main bedroom


The other bedroom


The kitchen and dining area


... And the jacuzzi on the balcony

The next thing to do is decide whether or not to rent a van... My aunt drives a Rav-4, while my uncle drives a pickup truck like Kevin's, so neither vehicle can fit 7 people. Either we take 2 cars everytime we go somewhere or we can rent a van... Taking 2 cars to Seattle and Whistler would seem like a crazy idea... anyways, we'll see how that goes... Also, I have to check with my aunt if Rob and I can go skiing at Grouse Mountain in May, since Rob doesn't think Whistler's enough *sigh*... In which case, we need to get ski lift tickets on that mountain too! Well, my dad did mention about floating casinos by the bay in Vancouver, and since Rob and my dad are avid casino lovers, maybe that ought to be enough to keep Rob busy :-)

Well, there are so many activities to do... so many places to see... and so little time. Which means we really have to carefully plan our trip well... so, let the planning begin!!!