Accepted!!

The latest news in our life is that I (Yarrow) have been accepted to midwifery school at UBC! We received the news this week and I am still letting it sink in. I was one of ten women selected out of more than 60 people this year, so it's quite exciting. This great news means I will be in the business of "baby catching", I'm sooo thrilled! It also means a move to Vancouver for 4 years which will be a big change for Matthew and I as we leave our very tight knit community in Victoria. Right now we are continuing to live in the moment and enjoying our last spring/summer in Victoria for awhile...sigh, sad but with such an amazing time on the horizon we really can't complain! We are truly blessed!!

Back to School

Yarrow is currently chasing after a career in baby catching! Yarrow left on Tuesday for an interview at Seattle Midwifery School in Washington State. She is very excited. Yarrow also received a call this week from UBC Midwifery School asking her for an interview. This has really been Yarrow's heart's desire and it has been met with a lot of anxiety and prayer. We really believe that God has been leading us along this path and have really felt supported by Him and the great friends and co-workers along the way.
Yarrow has been working at the Cook Street Midwives office for sometime and has really benefit ted from being involved with them. The midwives have been a great source of encouragement and advice to her.
We have also met other midwives fresh out of school that have given Yarrow encouragement, a step up and a good look into what to expect. I feel that Yarrow has a good grasp on what to expect and is well prepared to meet the challenge.
Yarrow returns from Seattle tonight with her new friend Suzanne who is also a hopeful midwife. Suzanne is from Port Alberni.

Yarrow's preference is to go to UBC for midwifery as the 4 year program is more affordable and she can hit the pavement running right out of school where as with Seattle Midwifery School (3 year program) she would be required to take an equivalency test which is more money and can take up to a year.
Going to UBC would involve a move to Vancouver which I absolutely hate the thought of. Rent will be much more expensive than our lovely cushy house sitting situation. And we will have to live in Vancouver which means it will take 30 minutes of commuting to get anywhere no matter where you are or what you want to do. :-p
Going to Seattle would be more expensive but Yarrow would work from home and take a monthly visit to Seattle. This would mean that we could stay in Victoria with our same living situation.
I think it would be a lot harder to get a proper education via distance education and I believe that the best situation here is a 4 year term at UBC. I will just have to start getting use to the idea!

Time to Invest

Yarrow and I have jumped into the investing crowd. Yarrow would rather have a nap than talk money but she is very supportive. This year have been good and we are virtually debt free which is a real blessing. We did have to borrow money for our car and our RRSP contribution this year. Borrowing money for your RRSP is a great idea because it will take a healthy bite out of your income tax. For example I saved 20% on my income tax this year. Yarrow and I purchased our through our bank. It was a painless process. The only thing I'm not sure about is user fees! I forgot to ask about these. We invested 75% in a Balanced Fund and 25% in Canadian Equities.

Yarrow and I have also jumped into real estate! We went in with 3 other friends on a development project in Edmonton, turning 68 agriculture land into 2 acre parcels. My best man Scott Neufeld is heading the packing as he starts a career in real estate. The investment opportunity was presented to us as an inside family deal and promises a great return; enough of a return to pay for Yarrow's schooling which would be a real blessing. The land was purchased by Scott's parents, cousin and his cousin's business partner. The great thing about it is if the development doesn't go through council the money will be refunded to the investors. And worst case scenario is we will own 2 acres in Edmonton.

New Car

Yarrow and I purchased a new car. It is a black 1996 Volkswagen Jetta GL TDI. We purchased it from a very nice police officer. Her name was 'Debbie Justice'. Apparently there is a long history of enforcement in the family.
The car had been owned by two previous owners who had it on a lease. The car is in reasonable condition. We put some money into the suspension and bought some used wheels and tires to replace the balding rubber.
So far the car has been great and the fuel economy rivals sub compact cars. If you time it right diesel is at times up to 10c a litre cheaper than petrol. So far its needed a new rear wheel bearing but other than that has driven without a stitch since we got it. This is a big relief over my previous vehicle. A 1989 Jeep Wagoneer. Although great for it was designed for, the jeep, having all that weight suspend over an aging drivetrain combined with fatiguing engine accessories, suffered several breakdowns. Lets just say driving a jeep is an expensive habit! Our BCAA membership paid for itself almost twice.
The Jetta has made a long trip to Portland and back and several other up island trips without skipping a beat.
I look forward to driving a diesel. Currently in North America diesel is known as a dirty fuel but this is a misnomer. Diesel is now being produced with far less sulphur and matched with a proper diesel exhaust catalyst emissions can be reduced to almost zero. Keep in mind if you run old dirty diesel it will chew threw the catalyst so I probably won't install one until I feel there is a safe supply of Low Sulphur diesel at the pump.
As with any car there is the odd issue. There seems to be a leak in the trunk and in the after market sun roof. This causes a rather stale foul smell. The used wheels and tires we bought do not run as smooth as I like at speeds over 50km/h. It came with a tape deck so we replaced it with a Clarion DB365USB Head Unit with USB Input.

Married!

Yarrow and I were married on July 15, 2006. It was a perfect day. I couldn't have asked for anything else.
Notable mentions go out to:
The Doyle family for hosting our ceremony and preparing the grounds for months in advance.
The musicians did an excellent job ushering everyone into the ceremony and Emma Postl and Phil Dwyer did a great job keeping everyone entertained at the signing.
Both Fox and Anders/Chudleigh families really pulled together a fantastic celebration.

Thanks to friends and family for coming from far and wide to celebrate with us!

Joan Crescent

What a gift!

Yarrow and I are house sitting for a family friend in a great neighbourhood in Victoria. In May 2006 Yarrow and I started looking for a place to live together as we were getting married in July. I am always thinking of how silly it is how much unused resources there are out there and there must be a way to benefit from it. Fortunately this was just the case for Yarrow and me.
This beautiful house (see picture) had been sitting vacant for a year. Unfortunately the elderly woman who owned the place came down with dimentia and was unable to stay at home. Yarrow's mother, Jill, grew up across the street and use to frequent the place. Jill's family was good friends with the elderly woman's family. Jill passed the message onto the family that Yarrow and I were looking for a place to stay. It was the perfect situation. Having us house sit meant that the family would not have to prepare the house for renters. This would be a big deal as we all know what it's like to move someone out of a place where they have been living for years. The family would also get a way better deal on home insurance. Once a home is vacant for over a year insurance rates sky rocket and the coverage is very weak.
The price was right. We were to stay and pay the utilities such as electricity, cable and phone and the family takes care of the rest: 2 grounds keepers, water, maintenance, land tax and insurance.
It is a true blessing. The house features three bedrooms, two fireplaces, two washer/dryers, great entertainmetn center and a great view of Craigdarroch Castle. It's similar to living in Disneyland. There is a steady stream of tourists that come by and take pictures of the house. We have now been here for almsot 10 months and we there is still no end in sight. It has been a great way to start a life together.