My New Place in Steveston

As those of you who either follow me on twitter or facebook know, Marnie and I recently purchased a place in Steveston and take possession on 25Jul. Being that it’s our “first” home (we rent, so in theory we already have a home), we’re pretty stoked and are currently trying to figure out what we need to do before the big day.

steveston

My New Backyard – courtesy of abundantc

And that’s somewhat the dilemma. I know there are probably more pressing things surrounding our move, such as settling on a moving company (we’ve called those listed in Richmond and the BBB) and getting packed and ready to go, but I can’t get my mind off of all the things I want and see myself doing at the new place.

Like the new LCD TV for the bedroom. We currently have a 37″ or so CRT which is freakingly big and heavy – heck, I’m surprised the thing hasn’t crushed the IKEA tv stand I have it resting on – so I’m looking to “downsize” before we move to our new place. The problem I’m having is deciding on what good value is. I picked up a 37″ ViewSonic LCD from Costco years back and have been happy, but the price was right at the time and I can’t seem to replicate the dollars.

Then there’s the bike. With the outdoor lifestyle available to people in Steveston, I’m dying to pick up a bike to ride with the masses along the dyke and throughout the village. Although I don’t need anything special, most bikes I’ve looked at cost some decent dollars and with all the costs involved in our move, it’s an even tougher purchase to justify.

And don’t get me started about the furniture options. Marnie and I have relied on hand-me-downs and inheritances to this point, but with us moving to a somewhat smaller place, we need to downsize and figured it was time to step it up and get our own stuff. We currently have a 3 piece sectional that we enjoy, but due to the constant un-upholstering our cats have been working on, it’s pretty much in a shambles. So where do we go from there? And how do we do it on a budget.

Any suggestions?

Wedding Planner Needed

Ever since our engagement, Marnie and I have been busy with life – her with work, while I have both work and what I hope to be a long playoff run for the Canucks. Not only that, but we have decided to look at getting into the market as first-time buyers and have begun our search for our dream home… err… condo/apartment. So life is pretty darn hectic.

This has all added up to make it tough for us to plan our wedding. Not that I have a clue about what we should be doing, looking for, or anything else for that matter.

In what little we have talked about, we were thinking of having our wedding next Spring – late April to early June. We’re still somewhat divided on whether to have it up on the Sunshine Coast or down here in the city, but seem to be leaning toward the city to ensure our guests can make it (I’m partial to the Minoru Chapel). But that’s about it. Crazy, huh?

Spring in Minoru Park, Canada

Minoru Chapel in the Spring – courtesy of Antony Pranata

We want to keep things reasonable (in other words, affordable), but also want to do things nice. My desire is that Marnie gets the wedding she wants, so I’m pretty easy going about that aspect – I simply want to provide input on the colours. But therein lies the problem. I don’t know where to start and don’t have millions and millions of dollars to spend (that Adsense revenue just ain’t at the JohnChow.com level I would like it to be).

Can anyone help me? Or provide suggestions? Please?

Thirty plus One

So today is my 31st birthday.

If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you’d probably already know this as I like to call Valentine’s Day instead by it’s unofficial term “Chris’ Birthday Eve.” But enough about me.

There are plenty of other things that February 15th is known for (as stolen from Wikipedia):

  • 1637 – Ferdinand III becomes Holy Roman Emperor.
  • 1898 – Spanish-American War: The USS Maine explodes and sinks in Havana harbor in Cuba, killing more than 260. This event leads the United States to declare war on Spain.
  • 1933 – In Miami, Florida, Giuseppe Zangara attempts to assassinate President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt, but instead shoots Chicago, Illinois Mayor Anton J. Cermak, who dies of his wounds on March 6, 1933.
  • 1952 – King George VI is buried in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.
  • 1965 – A new red-and-white maple leaf design is adopted as the flag of Canada, replacing the old Canadian Red Ensign banner.
  • 1982 – The drilling rig Ocean Ranger sinks during a storm off the coast of Newfoundland, killing 84 rig workers.
  • 2005 – YouTube, the popular Internet site on which videos may be shared and viewed by others, is launched in the United States.

And apparently I wasn’t the only person born the day:

  • 1564 – Galileo Galilei, Italian astronomer and physicist
  • 1710 – King Louis XV of France
  • 1874 – Sir Ernest Shackleton, Irish Antartic explorer
  • 1954 – Matt Groening, American cartoonist
  • 1964 – Chris Farley, American actor and comedian

Then there are some of those that left us:

  • 1145 – Pope Lucius II
  • 1965 – Nat King Cole, American singer and musician

So as you can see, it’s not all about me (even if I like to think so).

As for plans today, Marnie is taking me out to IHOP for some breakfast, I’m coaching my brother’s soccer team (the Richlads), I’ll probably get my haircut (I swear there is more grey this morning than last night), and I’m heading to the Boathouse with friends for dinner. So there you have it – Chris’ birthday in a nut shell.

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