I chose the name above and the background based on two factors which were the kids, Danielle and Landon Syroid and because, through the wonder of the Internet, we were all friends without touching someone, standing in front of you-- the wonder of a more than two year virtual friendship.

On the way up to Vancouver, our flight was delayed but the delay didn't cause any problems with the second-leg flight from Portland to Vancouver since it was also delayed.  We arrived at the airport in Vancouver about an hour later than we were supposed to be there and, after waiting in line for what seemed like an hour for our turn at the immigration desk, we went off to baggage claim.  (We were fortunate enough to get the only immigration agent who thought it imperative to receive each and every individual's life story before allowing us to enter the country.  Yeesh, its only Canada for crying out loud!!)

After we cleared customs and baggage claim, we headed on out to the meet-n-greet area and Brian spotted Landon in Tom's arms so we easily met up with them.  (A point of interest as an aside from the entire trip report here by the way is the fact that Tom's picture on his website is 13 years old!  If I had known the age of that photo, I wouldn't have been looking for that him.  Since I was looking for that him, if it weren't for Brian spotting Landon and Tom, I'd still be looking for him!!)  Danielle and Landon both came with Tom to pick us up-- Leah was waiting back at the hotel for us.

I've gotta tell ya: Both kids are absolutely adorable!  Danielle has the most beautifully penetrating blue eyes and yes, she already knows how to use them!  Landon, on the other hand, has the beautiful blue eyes that you see in all of the pictures along with dimples and a mischevious smile that he uses to his benefit.  As a DINK (Dual Income No Kid couple), we both had to make the comment that the kids are soooo well behaved!!  It was really a joy to be around them and share our time with them, too.

After arriving at the hotel, Leah and I headed out to get some groceries for breakfast and snacks to munch on when hanging around the hotel.  Brian unpacked us (and did a good job!) and stayed behind to entertain the kids.  Leah is just great-- we hit it off from the start!  We had fun going to the grocery store and liquor store for some wine before heading back to the hotel to put the kids to sleep.

Cruelly, we all sent Tom out for coffee from Starbucks on Saturday morning.  Its a dirty job but somebody had to do it and, Brian has bed-head so it couldn't be him (for fear of scaring Vancouver-ites).  The funny part was Landon trying to drink  from Tom's coffee.  Tom is not one to share his coffee in the morning, no matter how hard Landon tries to get some! 
 
 
 

After our coffee and breakfast on Saturday morning, Leah, Danielle and I were taken to the Skytrain station to take it to the Metrotown Mall to go shopping-- I want to point out that I do other things beside shop but, this is Canada and the prices were CHEAP!!  The guys met up with us there and then they took off with both kids in tow; Tom came back to get Leah and I an hour or so later so we could continue to shop.  I didn't find any shoes on this trip but I picked up a skirt and top for fall.

Saturday evening, the four of us were lucky enough to have Leah's mom, Ellie, and sister, Sheri, come over and stay with the kids so we could go out for dinner to a nice restaurant.  A nice restaurant was indeed found as recommended by Sheri, too.  We went to Joey Tomato's and we can honestly HIGHLY RECOMMEND this restaurant if you are ever in the Vancouver (Coquitlam) area.  They don't have a website but, they do have wonderful food and EXCELLENT service!!  If you go there (and again, we highly recommend that you do so!) ask for Louise's section-- in addition to looking like a young Geena Davis, she is a wonderful waitress!!

To give you an idea of the service and quality of the restaurant, on Saturday evening, Tom, Brian and I each ordered a steak: Tom the 11 ounce, Brian the 9 ounce (with prawns), and I had the 6 ounce steak-- all of them were served at the same time and cooked exactly to our specifications!!  That is so difficult to do!  We had an appetizer that none of us had ever had before, too-- (and I probably don't have the name of the item correct) Oriental Lettuce Wraps.  It was delicious!!  None of us had ever had it and we were wonderfully pleased and surprised by the taste sensations!! (Louise, if you're reading this, get me the recipe!!  ;>) ) Whenever we looked up from our food and conversation like we needed something, Louise was there to meet our needs which is why we can recommend her so highly-- a true professional and proud of doing a job (not a steak) "well done" .  We made sure to compliment the management on the staff (Louise in particular), meal and dining experience as a whole-- we were all really pleased and happy at the end of the meal.

After dinner, we went back to the hotel and had more long talks into the early morning hours.  Its funny but the guys seemed to survive not talking about computers really well.  (They probably won't admit it but they did a good job of being human and not geeky all weekend!)  We didn't solve any world problems but we had fun and laughed and talked into the night Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights but because Monday was a travel day, we didn't stay up as late as the other two nights.

Early on Sunday morning, we awoke and began the process of getting six people out the door for a tour around Vancouver.  We started out at Suspension Bridge Park taking a short hike across . . . a suspension bridge.  I didn't make that trek (I don't do suspension bridges, thanks!) but Leah and I hiked down (and back up) 119 steps to the bottom of the valley to take pictures of the waterfall.  Meanwhile, the guys and Danielle were on the other side having crossed the bridge to take the trail down.  They hollered over at us and we waved and yelled at Landon and Danielle so they could see us on the opposite side.  Landon learned a new word: "Wa-ter-fall" which has three very slow syllables. :>)

From the Park, we headed to "The Market" (Tom, if this isn't the right link, let me know but it looked right to me!), strolling around and taking pictures of the kids making friends and Danielle doing some interesting fishing . . . Seriously, knowing Danielle, she was probably retrieving the penny she had just tossed in to change her mind about her wish being from a future "rich boyfriend" to a "rich and cute boyfriend".

After having lunch at various restaurants in The Market, we piled back into Sheri's van (she lent it to us so we could all fit in one vehicle for the drive around Vancouver) and headed over to Stanley Park.  The weather was nice (as it had been all weekend) and the sun was breaking through the clouds so it was a bit difficult to find a parking space but we finally found one at Second Beach. We got out of the van and made our way to the beach-- some of us found a way to get some road rash along the way but, such is life sometimes. Once at the beach, it was hard to keep the kids busy-- you know how it is at a beach: nothing for kids to do!! ;>)

After a quick stop at the grocery store to re-up the milk and breakfast supplies, we went back to the hotel for an early dinner of Chinese take-out and a swim at the pool.  Then, back to the room for another night of fun and laughter with the kids off to bed early.

A wonderful weekend was spent by all of us-- meeting for the first time as well as getting to know the in-person bits of our personalities.  It really was great fun!!
 
 

Danielle, in constant motion	Okay, maybe she holds still once in awhile	Brian being clever with the camera
In the middle on the left "Bed-Head Bear" and then, in the middle on the right, no Bed-Head Ever!!	Danielle practicing her panoramic shots-- a view from the "front" of our hotel room	Danielle's feeble attempt at being shy.
Yes, an even more feeble attempt	Tom & Landon cuddling	Landon with his firetruck
Landon doing wheelies with his firetruck (Oh, yes, Tom & Leah will have their hands full with him, too!)	Landon helping with the dishes	The cupboards almost bigger than he is!
Doesn't he just look guilty?	An abbreviated game of "I Spy" perhaps?	Brian's idea of a pretty stump
Suspension Bridge Park Waterfall	And the Waterfall at Suspenion Bridge Park	Suspension Bridge Park Waterfall Again
Yes, its the only Waterfall at Suspenion Bridge Park	Yep, the same Suspension Bridge Park Waterfall	You got it-- Waterfall at Suspenion Bridge Park
Ditto	Since Brian took so many pictures of the wa-ter-fall, I'm pretty sure we all know why Landon learned that new word, eh?	The Vancouver skyline from "The Market"
Again	And Again	Tom & Landon on the beach
And again	Landon and Leah on the beach	And a new picture of a lovely lady for her website, don'tcha think?

Definitely suitable for framing!!	Looks pretty guilty to me!!
The hat is quite a topper on that face, isn't it?	The bottom of the ravine in the Suspension Bridge Park.
Until Landon joined them, it wasn't cute enough for a photo but this couldn't be passed up!!	Like Barbara and I, there is a photo in Leah's camera of me in a like pose.

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