Congratulations Chris and Cindy!

After much anticipation, on March 26th, Joshua Cameron Lee made his way into the world, weighing in at a healthy 6lbs, 4 oz.

Three minutes after delivery and he looks so alert!

CoNgRaTuLaTiOnS Chris and Cindy! You'll make wonderful parents. We're happy for you and looking forward to meeting your new bundle of joy.

Visiting Vancouver

Our cousin, Christl, is visiting us after her back packing trips to the UK, Thailand and Australia. We haven't see her in 13 years, so there is so much to catch up with. It's been fun reminiscing about our childhood in South Africa.

It was such a hilarious flashback this weekend, when we went to the Jupiter Lounge. It reminded me of my first experience to a nightclub in South Africa when I was sixteen. Christl's dad took a bunch of my girlfriends and I there, and I dragged my (then) thirteen year old sister along (South African nightclubs were really relaxed on the age restriction! Ja).

I remember distinctly what I was wearing. It was the 80's so I had large hooped earrings, huge teased and permed hair, blue eyeshadow and I was wearing a polka dot top which showed my midriff and a super short, matching, barely-there mini-skirt. At the time, I thought I looked really cool, but now I just cringe when I look at the photos (oh yes, I have proof -- unfortunately!) I wouldn't want to relive those turbulent teenage years.

It was a blast from the past, when Lauren wanted to join Shannan, Christl and I and all three of us said, "Well you're not old enough yet, but you can come with -- as long as you have your FAKE id!"

Thank goodness my cousins have better fashion sense than I had when I was their age :)

Jumana's Baby Shower

On Friday, Bruce had an intimate Birthday gathering at the Century Restaurant. Happy Birthday!

I had a great time organizing Jumana's baby shower. Having attended one recently, I had lots of ideas to work from. The party games are always fun! Aside from the usual sock game and food tasting game, we played a new game which involved drawing baby pictures. They're a bit obscene, so I won't post them here :) Thanks girls for the candid photo opportunities and for being such good sports!

All that jazz!

Decided to hang out with some coworkers for a night of jazz at the Railway Club. We had a blast and listened to the jazzy tunes of "Lullaby Baxter" & "Sweet Pea Swing Band". I had to borrow a top from one of the girls since I'd come straight from a recruitment fair at the Pan Pacific. It's also been a while since I've stayed up so late; I missed the skytrain and had to spend the night downtown.

Thank you

Thank you to our friends and family for all of your blog announcements, emails, phone calls, kind thoughts and wishes on our engagement. We're still enjoying the engagement "buzz". It was also such a nice surprise to receive congratulatory flowers at the office.

Dining and wining

After a long week at work, the girls had a chance to unwind at La Rocca, a quaint little Italian bistro on Commercial Drive. We enoyed the wine, food, and girl talk. It feels so good to bond with your girlfriends.

We're happily ENGAGED!!!

We are extremely happy to announce our engagement :)

Shawn flew into town after a rough week. We decided to celebrate Valentine's at Café Pacifica which hosted an Italian Opera Buffet. We savoured the Italian cuisine while 'sopranos and tenors stirred our hearts with romantic operatic renditions'.

After dinner we stepped outside for a view of the city harbour. It was drizzling lightly. We stopped under the big, white sails at Canada Place. Shawn put the umbrella down. We were surrounded by night and the stars. He pulled me in for a big hug and kiss, got down on one knee, pulled the ring out of his coat pocket, told me how much he loved me, and asked me to marry him. I said, "Yes!"

I was surprised and way too happy to cry.

We celebrated with cocktails at Cascades Lounge, and I had a chance to look at the ring. What really touched me was that so much thought, time and effort went into its selection. Shawn custom designed the ring and I had no idea! It was really difficult for him to keep the surprise from me for two whole months, and he wanted to know if I liked it. I think -- it's exquisite! I don't know what I would have chosen, so I'm glad that he picked what he liked. What's more important is what it symbolizes for both of us.

I wanted to call our parents. He said that my parents already knew because he had asked for their permission back in December.

We're just thrilled to be engaged!