Canada's Thanksgiving is celebrated the first Monday in October. So this year it fell on October 8th. Brandon got the day off from school, so Sam, Katrina & Desi came to visit. We had SO much fun.
Day 1, Friday:
Brandon had school. Sam, Katrina & Desi went on a walk all the way around Stanley Park and back to our apartment - I think that's about 12 km.
When they got back, they gave Cambree a new toy they brought up - balloons. She LOVED it.
Then, we went to Granville Island. My favorite. We picked up some fresh fruit, went to a near-by park & relaxed and ate the fruit while Cambree & Sam took a nap in the grass.
Once we got done there, Brandon was out of class! So he met up with us, we went to our favorite Ramen place, then to Thierry. At Thierry they have liquid chocolate, it's like hot chocolate but thicker and creamier. So, so, so good. Another thing they have there that we love are macaroons. They have the exact amount of chewyness & sweetness. It's a perfect cookie.
That was all in one day! It was so much fun. I love having family come up and visit. It's so beautiful here & there's always something to do, so it makes for a perfect vacation! I'll post again, soon, our next few day adventures.
~Nicole
So, I've been debating starting a blog for 3 years now...and I think now is the perfect time. So here's the long story as to how we ended up in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Brandon graduated from ASU in May of 2011. He graduated with a Bachelors in Interdisciplinary Arts & Performance. His dream is to do Sound Design for either movies or video games, and this was the closest degree he could find. So, Thanksgiving of 2011 we spent in Santa Monica with family.
On the Sunday we were there we went to the local ward. There was a cute couple sitting behind us, a family just like ours, young, with a little baby girl. After sacrament we were talking with them and came to find out that the husband, Eric, works at Riot Games, a BIG game company in Santa Monica. Brandon had probably sent a dozen applications to this company between graduation and our trip during Thanksgiving. We asked how we could get Brandon's application seen by someone, and with no problem at all Eric said he could bring it to the recruitment supervisor. So a couple months went by, we had recently bought a home in Surprise, and we were debating on getting settled in, or keeping all our things in boxes so we could move quickly if needed. Brandon got an interview with the head sound designer, Jay. Jay then sent Brandon a "sound test", as part of the application. Brandon TOTALLY rocked it. They loved his talent. But there was one problem... The program they use, and the entire industry uses, FMOD, Brandon was very unfamiliar with. He had never even heard of this program until this interview, and it was what everyone in the industry used for sound design. So, he didn't get the job. Jay was really nice and very, very helpful. I feel like we both learned a lot from his interview.
After he didn't get the job, and being so close to getting it, it really pushed Brandon into gear. He began researching schools to teach him what exactly he needed to know. He wanted to be desired. He has the talent, but needs the education. So, after calling and talking to SEVERAL schools, he found Vancouver Film School. They had the exact program he had been looking for for years, Sound Design for Visual Media. So, we prayed, and prayed, and prayed... It was going to be a VERY big move for our family & a lot of money, we wanted to make sure this is what we needed to be doing at this time. So, we finally decided to just apply and see what happens. Only 13 students, world-wide get accepted every term, so we figured if he didn't get in, it probably wasn't something we should do. We heard back the next day about his application. He got accepted!! So that's when I knew this is EXACTLY what we need to be doing.
The next step was selling our home. We debated renting it, but decided against that. Prices had already gone up in the 9 months we owned the home, so we decided to sell. We listed on For Sale By Owner, got a buyer in 1 day and closed 2.5 weeks later. Miracle. Another confirmation that this is what we should be doing. We walked away with just enough money to pay tithing & pay for Brandon's entire tuition. Another miracle.
So, that's how we ended up here, in BEAUTIFUL Vancouver. I've grown to love this city in the short 3 weeks we've lived here. We live in a small 1-bedroom, 550 square feet, on the 14th floor. Beautiful views, and the best part is, Brandon's school is a 3-minute walk. He has 3-hour block classes and and hour break between each, so he comes home during his break, which I love.
I'm going to use this blog to blog about our lives here, food places we eat at, recipes I try, and places we go! I hope you have fun following us on our adventure!
~Nicole
