I realized the other day that I hadn't blogged in a really long time! Wow, time flies. The last time I posted, it was just after a beautiful snowfall that made our yard look like a winter wonderland. Well it's now 2 months later, and our backyard still looks like a winter wonderland! It's March 22nd and we are still feeling very wintery in Ottawa. Last year at this time I can remember the kids playing in the backyard with no socks or shoes on. The temperature was in the high 20's and it was very summery, unfortunately we have not had such good luck this year. The winter here in Ottawa, has been long, it's been beautiful but long. I am very much looking forward to the warm weather and the kids being able to play outside without having to pack them up for 20 minutes first!
March was a busy month for Greentruck B and B. Over the course of the month we had 12 nights booked! Which was awesome. In December, January and February combined we only had 5 nights booked! I think that Ottawa is a little more appealing to tourists and travelers in the spring/summer than it is in the winter. Opening the B and B has always been something that I felt that God has put on my heart to do, I know it might not make sense to some, but I am not really sure how else to explain it, and again having March be busy made me realize, how much joy it brings us and how it provides for us when we really need it! It's been a crazy experience, but one that I value and will never regret!
I can tell you about some of our most recent guests, this past weekend we had a colleague of Ben's stay with us. It was really great, we got to spend some time with him, just hanging out and getting to know him better. He also got to see the crazy side of our children! They love to "swim" which means they jump from our coffee table onto the couches, in their "swimming suits"(underwear) It was really funny!!
Then we had some people from Germany. They were here visiting family that lived close to us. They were some of the nicest people that have stayed with us. We had an older couple stay here for Winterlude. They came with their teenage daughters and skated the entire length of the canal! It was on this gentlemen's bucket list to do, and he did it! He was probably at least 60. And then we had a gentleman who was here on business. He was working on the light rail project in Ottawa, he had to be at work for 7am, so I had to have breakfast for 6:30am, sheesh I was tired that week!! I think that I say this every time that I write in my blog, but I just love meeting these people and hearing their stories. Ben said it best the other day, having breakfast with people is such a great way to start of your day. It means you start it off by hearing stories, laughing and truly sharing your lives with other people! So neat.
As I have been thinking about what I need to update on my blog, I am kind of blown away by how much has happened in the last couple of months. So Ben and I have been on this 18 month challenge that has been put on by his company, World Financial Group. And it has been CRAZY! It has been super amazing in that we have challenged ourselves more than we thought possible. We have pushed ourselves to new limits. We have done things that we didn't think were possible. It's absolutely amazing! So far there have been 2 contests to win during the challenge, and Ben and his amazing team have achieved them both. These were challenges that allowed Ben to do more with his team and his business then he has ever been able to before. It's pretty cool! Thanks to Ben we are heading to San Francisco in 2 weeks!! I can't wait, not only are we going to be mentored and trained by one of the wealthiest and most respected men in our company, but we get to spend 2 days hanging out in San Francisco. I can't wait!
And now we are back to real time. We have gone to San Francisco, and it was amazing. What an awesome city. It's really unique, and there is so much to see and do. We spent a bunch of time walking around just seeing San Francisco. We biked across the golden gate bridge. It was magnificent. It's HUGE! We walked around Sausulito. We saw the sea lions on Pier 39, Ben especially liked that. We drove down Lombard street, which is the steepest and curviest street that I have ever been on! We walked through China town, which really felt like we were in China.(I have never been, but it is what I would expect China to be like)
After seeing San Francisco we went down to Aptos, and we were mentored by one of the giants of our company. I can't imagine a better way to spend 2 days. We went to his beach house, which had absolutely amazing views of the ocean. So while we were learning about how to become the best that we could be, and how to grow a business and be challenged in our faith, we were watching the most peaceful view I have seen in a long time. All in all I would definitely say that this was a trip of a lifetime.
Since then life has been more fulfilled, more challenging, and more exciting then ever. Ben and I have both gotten more clarity on what we want in our lives, and what is truly important in our lives. And that clarity has spilled out into every aspect of what we do. Into how we raise our kids, into how we build relationships, into how we work, and how we play. The B and B has been awesome. We have had a couple of guests stay in April, and I would have to say that our last guest was the most enjoyable guest we have had this year. The people who stayed here were just very interesting and had some really neat things to say, but they were also very calm and peaceful to be around and chat with. It was really, really neat.
Our kids are amazing! Yesterday we spent the whole day with them. It was the first hot and sunny day that Ottawa has seen this spring, and we took full advantage of it! We gardened, and played in the sandbox, we went for a long bike ride, we went for a picnic, we visited with some family, we played and then played some more outside! Both Ben and I just relaxed and enjoyed the company of our kids, and all that they are. Cooper is just the sweetest little boy, he has a smile that will make your heart melt, and Clayton will just make you laugh until your stomach hurts because he is so silly!
Well that's about it for now!! I hope you enjoyed the read, and I will leave you with some pictures!
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