Hello From Vancouver!

Last night's sushi was so pretty! Not that I ate any ... I'm not into raw fish even if it is pretty! Kevin and Hannah thoroughly enjoyed it, though, and there were other alternative dishes for me to enjoy. The atmosphere was warm and relaxed ... just lovely. Hannah believes her stomach is Japanese.

After a long trip (delays, of course, and sitting on the plane for extended periods of time), we got here. My legs were maximum puffy but they weren't so slender when we started so no big surprise. Before we left, Mom phoned and recommended compression socks. I don't exactly have a supply of those on hand, so Sylvia picked some up for me and brought them with her when she drove us to the airport. I hadn't thought of compression socks, so thanks Mom and Syl. Maybe they helped? I don't know.

Anyway, we got here and met up with Hannah at our hotel, which is only 1 block away from her apartment. We stopped by and saw Hannah's very cute and cozy place. The windowsills are so wide that she's made one into a comfy window seat where she spends a lot of time reading. How nice! We then went to a new trendy bar ("Be Calm And Carry On") across the street where ... get this ... I had my first boozy drink since at least before the chemo began! I even had TWO! How decadent! It was so nice to sit there in a booth with my feet elevated, with drinks and, best of all, with our daughter! Ahhhhh ...

Yesterday morning, while Kevin went conferencing, Hannah and I took the bus to gas town and poked around in some favourite shops. We had lunch and stopped at Finch's for tea and a snack. Finch's is where Hannah has worked since she first moved here. It's a popular and cozy little cafe in gas town ... very rustic and organic ... just 1 block down from McLeod's, the famous used book store in Vancouver where Yann Martel recently had a photo shoot for a magazine. I can't remember which one.

We picked up Kevin when he was done conferencing and took a cab to 4th Avenue in Kitsalano, which has some of our favourite shops. We ogled shoes at Gravity Pope and browsed a couple of other shops before making our way to Zulu Records where Kevin and Hannah found some tunes. By then, I had way over extended myself. I was fine, really, until I got out of the cab on 4th Ave. Still, I managed okay until we got to Zulu Records and then I was totally toasted. I wend back to the hotel to rest while Kevin and Hannah met Leah for before dinner drinks.

On an encouraging note, when I got back to the hotel, I took off my compression socks (I wore them all day) and my ankles were the least puffy they had been for the past week except for first thing in the morning. I was very happy about that. I don't know if it was the lasix, the compression socks, or just time itself. Either way, I'm GLAD!! After a little lie down and a nap, I felt better and we took a bus to one of Kevin and Hannah's favourite Sushi restaurants and we had a lovely time! It started raining in the evening, though, and I have a feeling it will keep raining this whole week. I forgot my only umbrella at the restaurant, of course, but Hannah was able to give us one from the collection she has amassed.

After dinner I went back to the hotel to go to bed and Kevin and Hannah went to her place to listen to their new music. I think some of her friends showed up to meet Kevin. I'll get the scoop later.

Today, Hannah has classes until late afternoon and Kevin has conferencing. I'll just pace myself. I'm so happy to be here. I see my ankles are puffier this morning than they were last night. What's with that?!