Matt and Caitlin Bingham

introducing...Neko

2009-08-09T17:44:00.000-07:00

After much subtle and not-so-subtle hinting, Caitlin finally got her wish of getting a cat. Recently I had been put under a bit more pressure by my lovely wife to invest in feline companionship. For approximately...the duration of our marriage she'd politely asked me if we could get a cat and my stock answer was always "no, not in a million years." I have been willing to acquiesce to almost every other request Caitlin has made of me, but I had never been able to bring myself to say yes to getting a cat. I still do not really know what changed my mind, but changed it was and thus Neko has entered our life.

Without further ado, Neko:

The character appearing in some of these shots with Neko is called Angry Bird. We don't know why, that's what it said on the package. These days, Neko has settled into Casa del Bingham very nicely and is learning how to be naughty (now that she is comfortable here), including jumping up on the counters/tables and scratching the couch and carpets. Good times.

New job and new (old) vehicle!

2009-07-06T22:22:00.000-07:00

I am now officially the new Librarian Supervisor at the Central Branch of Greater Victoria Public Library and it really feels great! I had my first day today and I'm very much looking forward to being challenged and learning a whole variety of new skills, not to mention getting to supervise and interact with an exceptional staff each day! I moved into my office and spent a lot of time meeting with my boss. It's going to be s steep learning curve, but I'm up to it!

Caitlin and I also just purchased a sweet new vehicle and by new, I mean that it's 19 years old! Behold the new Bingmobile:

It's a 1990 Nissan Axxess (double x = so cool)--a mini mini-van! Caitlin absolutely loves this vehicle more than any newer vehicle that we either looked at or test drove! It's a total dorkmobile, but we're okay with that because it's perfect for hauling camping gear and our guitars/amps/people, plus it's in nice shape, has low mileage, and the price was right! What's not to like?! We're just waiting for an official name for her, which has been commissioned from a valued member of our circle and should arrive soon! Even as I type this, Caitlin is going on about how awesome this vehicle looks and how much she adores it. Earlier, she said it looks 'friendly', whatever that means!

That's all for now!

Voulez-vous aller camper?

2009-07-03T16:54:00.000-07:00

I have realized that the responsibility for updating the Binghams' blog has fallen to the Renegade Librarian half of the marriage and so I'm going to be doing my best to keep it up for those near and far who like to know what's going on with us.

*

Caitlin and I had our first camping excursion together with some of our friends a few weekends ago. Because I was working all day on Saturday we were only able to go up for one night, but it was such a fun and relaxing time. I love being outdoors and away from everything. Admittedly, our sleeping arrangement was not that comfy, but somehow I managed to get more sleep than I thought I would.

One of the other things we love about camping is the food because it seems everything tastes better when you're outside. My friend Rob made amazing gourmet burgers on these flatbread buns--they were an unforgettable taste sensation! We then sat around the fire that night and talked about...well, a lot of funny stuff to do with flatulence. Yeah, I know, we're a bunch of ten year olds! And the funny thing is, I didn't even start it!

A few shots from the weekend, compliments of Rob and the lovely C.E. Bingham:

We had a great time and look forward to getting out there again later in the summer! Thanks to the Campbells and the Andrews for inviting us up and feeding us! You guys are rad!

the little gardener

2009-06-09T17:53:00.000-07:00

We've been in our new place for a couple of months now and Caitlin recently decided that she wanted to overhaul the back garden, tearing out things she didn't like and replacing them with flowers that she loves. She also planted chives, rosemary, sage, basil, and cilantro. In addition, she was given a baby cedar tree that she transplanted and is now lovingly taking care of out on the back patio! Here are some pictures of the Bingham family's horticulturalist at work:

Proudly digging away, spade in hand:

We've got a lovely clematis that climbs along the trellis on our patio:

Carefully watering her new baby...

Seriously, this is one of the cutest pictures EVER of Caitlin:

Caitlin is very excited about the possibilities for our garden as well as her little planter of herbs out on the balcony! Stay tuned for more home improvements here at Casa del Bingham!

Casa del Bingham

2009-04-28T09:47:00.000-07:00

After a long hiatus on our blog, we're back! We are all moved into our new place and are absolutely loving being homeowners. This place immediately felt like home and we did not have to "adjust" to it in any way at all. It's bright, inviting, and so far all of our loved ones have really enjoyed being here and we are winning rave reviews for our choice of home!

The move went very smoothly, though it was not the easiest move due to the fact that it was rainy. We were able to have everything out of our old place in an hour thanks to a first rate team of friends who were focused on the job at hand and were incredibly cooperative and gracious. Getting everything into our new place was far more challenging due to the 3-floor layout of our new home, complete with narrow, winding staircases between levels.

This has been so good for the two of us since we're both highly affected by the space we're in and our old place was getting both too small, was cold, and we were starting to find it a bit dark. We are feeling extremely happy and content as we settle in and we're close to being completely unpacked--getting the boxes of books unpacked has been something we've been actively avoiding, though it's probably my (Matt's) responsibility rather than Caitlin's! Everywhere you look here there's green: huge trees, beautiful flowers, and lawn space, which is one of the biggest factors that sold us on this place...

Rather than post all the pictures here on the blog, which takes a long time, we posted them all on Facebook and you can click here on this public link (i.e. you don't need to be on Facebook) to view them! We didn't bother with pictures of the bottom level because it's a front hall, a big storage room and laundry--not that exciting...

With the technical issues on this blog now all ironed out, we hope to be updating it far more frequently, so watch this space. Hope you enjoy the pictures and we'd love to hear from you via the comments forum--tell us what you think of the place!

the Christmas season

2009-01-02T13:14:00.000-08:00

This Christmas was much different than Christmases past as the bucketloads of snow Victoria received really threw a kink into our regular rhythms and celebrations. We found that we were unable to attend many of the traditional activities because they were either canceled or we were so snowed in and the roads were so treacherous that it made matters impossible for us out here in the country. We also had the misfortune to have to shovel snow for literally hours and hours over the course of four or five days: Here's what we were dealing with:

One non-family Christmas tradition that we were able to uphold was a trip to Butchart Gardens to see the lights. It was a freezing cold night and so it was the fastest trip through the Gardens we've ever had. However, despite the cold it was gorgeous night and the lights were lovely. As you can see, we had a good time:

Christmas Eve (the traditional family dinner with Matt's family), after we finished shoveling, and Christmas Day/Boxing Day with both families was very restful and relaxing. We truly enjoyed spending time with everyone we got to see. We took so many pictures, so we'll only post a few of the funniest/cutest, including my nephew Ryan as well as my father-in-law as Santa Claus:

We hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas season and all of God's blessings to you for 2009!

the pastor and the librarian rock Seattle

2008-12-15T19:56:00.000-08:00

I had the good fortune of being able to take my best friend Andy down to Seattle to see the Seahawks play the Washington Redskins (his favourite professional sports team ever and that's saying a lot considering he is sports obsessed) on November 23rd. We took the Clipper down on the Saturday night, stayed in a hotel for a couple of nights and then returned to Vic City on the Monday morning Clipper.

Going through Customs was a lot of fun as we have the two most seemingly innocuous professions out there: minister and librarian. We were waved through pretty quickly when we played those cards! The hotel we stayed in was pretty...classic. Hot water? Yeah, not really. TV that worked? Ditto. Huge strip club across the street with giant, piercingly bright neon signs that cut through the black drapes? You bet! When we saw the latter, we both burst out laughing and it didn't stop for awhile...

The day of the game was something I'll never forget. We walked down to Qwest Field a couple hours early and met up with Andy's friend Kevin in the tailgate parties:

I had never seen anything like this circus in my life. There were literally vehicles (such as an old ambulance) that had been converted into tailgate party vehicles. People were drinking beer, flipping burgers and dogs, and munching on a variety of different snacks. Music was pumping and I was lost in a sea of blue (Seahawks jerseys!). Thankfully, most people were very friendly and when Andy walked into the aformentioned sea, no one gave him anything more than some pointed glares. Here I am doing my best (and failing miserably) to look like a badass in my Seahawks hat:

I bought said hat (in Victoria) as a security measure: I was not keen to get my butt kicked for being with Number One Redskins Fan (see above pic) and I wanted security to be kind to me when/if N.O.R.F. was getting pounded by Seahawk rowdies. Andy is the "throw all caution to the wind" side of our friendship. I tend to be the "think of every possible scenario and do your best to make sure the worst doesn't happen while taking care of Andy and appearing to be completely relaxed" guy. Plus, I promised his wife (and my own) that I would take care of us because we all knew that he was going to be too delirious with excitement to display any kind of common sense at the game.

Check out this (very drunk) guy, from Surrey, who made a point of letting us know that he had marijuana stashed in his pillowcase:

Yeah, he was a special one.

Quest Field was absolutely amazing and the two of us were totally awed by the sheer scope of it. It was a bloody zoo too! When we got in there, the Redskins were were warming up so we had a look at our seats and then headed down to field level to take pics and video. Here are some shots I captured of the stadium, the warm-up, and, of course, Andy in all his glory:

And then the game began. To make a long story short, our original seats were pretty good ones in the 200s, but no one showed up to these two aisle seats in the seventh row at the 30-yard line behind the Redskins bench, so we had incredible seats for the entire thing!

Andy wasted no time shrieking and yelling for the 'Skins, including pulling out twin cowbells and shaking them like a drunken belly dancer. The cowbells were a no-no and security came to tell him to put them away. He was also accused of drunkenness (after 1/4 of a beer, the only one he had that day) and we're pretty sure that he was mistaken for the very drunk Redskins fan beside him, who could barely stand. All-in-all, Andy was spoken to twice by security and once by a sheriff--not bad for a day's work. I, happily, was not guilty by association and was not spoken to once, other than being patted on the back and high-fived a number of times by Seahawks fans that were trying to get under Andy's skin since they knew I was with him. Here are some photos of N.O.R.F. in full flight:

Much to Andy's delight, the Redskins won the game, 20-17, helped by an interception thrown my Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck right at the end of the game when he had a chance to get the Seahawks in a position to score. This sent the many Redskins fans in our section into fits of ecstasy, including Andy, as you can see in the picture directly above. An interesting side note: the man and his son that were sitting directly behind (see picture below) were the cousins of Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell, up from Oakland to catch their famous family member in action:

We had a great time in Seattle and it was nice for the two of us to be able to hang out together--the reality of marriages, families, and careers have made those times fewer and further between for N.O.R.F and I. I hope that we'll be able to make some kind of tradition! The following shots are one of the things I remember about the weekend: Andy eats/snacks constantly and these catch him at his best in that state of perpetual consumption:

Andy, I'm glad you had such a good weekend and enjoyed the game so much--it was probably the best birthday present I could have thought of and just seeing your face throughout that Sunday afternoon was worth every penny! Thanks to our lovely wives, Jennie-Lynne and Caitlin, for allowing their men to head off for a couple days and enjoy some memorable times and some exciting football!

November

2008-11-25T14:50:00.000-08:00

We are making an effort to update the Bingham blog more often for those of you who live far away and see little of us. We have been remiss in this, for the most part, so we're making sure that we try to stay on top of it.

November has been a good month for Caitlin and I. We celebrated my sister Laura's birthday on November 1st with a trip to one of her favourite restaurants. It is strange for me to watch my little sister grow up; she is now 27, a wife, and a mother. I remember walking her as a toddler and I also have clear memories of walking her to her first day of grade 2. Now, she's all growed up!

Caitlin and I also went up to Nanaimo a couple weekends ago for the traditional Thanksgiving dinner (late this year for a variety of reasons) with my Port Alberni family at the home of lifelong family friends of ours. The meal was fantastic and little Ryan, our nephew, was really well behaved...until the drive down when he screamed for the first 45 minutes to an hour! Here are some photos of the day:

Ryan in one of his peaceful times:

Ryan with my father, a.k.a. Grandpa Bingham:

This past weekend Caitlin and I went away to a lovely little place called Honeysuckle Cottage on Salt Spring Island, one of the southern Gulf Islands for those of you unfamiliar with the geography surrounding Vancouver Island. I had decided a few weeks back that Caitlin needed to get away for a weekend, so off we trekked to Salt Spring together on Friday after we were done work. It was a lovely time of renewal, relaxation, conversation, and beautiful scenery for the two of us. I had an opportunity to catch up on a bit of reading I had wanted to do, we watched a couple movies, went for a really enjoyable walk, had tea at a cute cafe and enjoyed some really good beer and red wine! We even got in a quick visit with my Uncle Ron before we left. Some snaps from the weekend:

It was tough to leave the cottage, but we'll be back there again, I'm sure! It's hard to believe that it's only a month until Christmas! We hope that you and yours are well and happy...

October

2008-11-11T12:35:00.000-08:00

As per usual, it's been a long time since we updated our blog because we've been crazy busy with work and life so we thought we'd take the time on this chilly, damp Remembrance Day to update y'all! October was a really fun month for us and so we thought we'd share some of the highlights with you:

At the beginning of October Tim and Connie Bailey, our close friends from London (Onterrible), came out to the West Coast for their anniversary and stayed a night with us. It was totally fun to catch up with them and great for me (Matt) to be able to talk with Tim, who I really look up to. We also took them to Noodle Box, a Victoria tradition, which they totally loved, as you can see below:

It was actually really tough for us to say goodbye to Tim and Connie--they are the kind of people that you wish were around all the time and who are so incredibly comfortable to be with, even though it had been exactly a year since we'd last seen them (in London, England!).

We also had the pleasure of seeing our nephew Ryan dedicated at church. He screamed when the pastor was praying for him, despite the pastor thinking he had "the magic touch." It's obvious he'd met his match with Ryan Matthew Thiessen, who has a real set of lungs! Here are a couple shots of him in more peaceful times:

Next up came one of our favourite annual events, The Place Retreat. Every year, members of our church spend a weekend up at Pioneer Pacific Camp on Thetis Island. This year's Retreat was probably the most enjoyable one I've been on and it was a great chance for Caitlin and I to catch up with some good friends as well as meet some new people. We even had the privilege of closing the annual Open Mic with a couple of songs. Here are some shots from the Retreat:

With Brad and Christine:

A sweet self-take of Caitlin:

Matt and Randy, pastor extraordinaire:

The view from the lodge:

Caitlin and I playing at open mic:

We also had the opportunity to participate in Victoria's Gulu Walk, a worldwide venture to raise awareness for the plight of war-affected children in Northern Uganda. After the walk, we hung out and had some lunch with Jay Naz, also riding in his sweet Cabriolet (don't let anyone tell you that it's a girl's car!):

A sweet shot of Jay navigating the streets of Victoria:

A sweet rearviewmirrow shot:

As you can see, October was a fun month for the Binghams and now the march to Christmas is on! We pray that our readers are well and we're sorry we don't update as much as you might like--we hope to do so more often! Cheers!

Fall is here

2008-09-16T08:50:00.000-07:00

It's so hard to believe that it's September already! The kids are back at school, work is getting busier, all the fun Fall stuff is kicking into gear, and hockey season is quickly approaching!

The past few weeks have been both eventful and tiring--it feels like Caitlin and I are still catching up on our sleep. We're also both deciding what commitments to take on for the year and what, if anything, to jettison. Work is getting busier for me and I will be teaching a couple user education sessions this Fall, which should be fun.

We have seen the arrival of two precious babies in the past five weeks. My sister Laura and her husband Curtis had Ryan Matthew Thiessen on August 7 and then just a few days ago, on September 13, my best friend Andy and his wife Jennie-Lynne had Leilani Esther Dorothy Renton. It's exciting for Caitlin and I to be aunt and uncle and we are trying to, and will continue to try to, spend as much time with our newphew and quasi-niece as we can. We have no regrets about our move back to Victoria and know that we chose wisely as we absolutely love being near our family and friends!

Me and my namesake, Ryan Matthew:

Caitlin with Leilani:

On the subject of my nephew Ryan, I asked a fantastic artist I know if she would mind sketching a picture of him, of her choosing, and this was the incredible result, which we had matted and framed for my sister and Curtis:

When Caitlin and I were shown the result, we were reduced to tears because it was so beautifully done.

One of the other highlights of our summer, the majority of which we spent working, was our Labour Day trip up to Port Alberni to my father's place on Sproat Lake. We left early in the morning and headed on up there for a day of hiking, swimming, and a sweet Sea-Doo ride on the choppy lake--I was sore for a few days after that, but Caitlin sure loved watching us from the boat and firing off pictures! Here are a few photos from the day:

As you can see from the above pictures, a good time was had by all and it ended up being a gorgeous day, despite threatening to be quite unpleasant at first, weather-wise.

This Fall is going to be a busy time for the Binghams, but we're hoping to clear more time to spend with our family and friends as they are increasingly becoming even more of a priority for the two of us. We are also excited for everything going on with our church, though we have taken a month and a half off from music since we played almost every week this summer--we decided that we needed a bit of time off to recuperate. The month of October will a quick visit from our friends the Baileys and our church's weekend retreat on Thetis Island, which is always a yearly highlight, one we've missed the past two years as we were in Ontario and then Europe. In November, I am taking my best friend Andy to see the Seattle Seahawks versus the Washington Redskins--for some reason I can't comprehend, Andy has been a diehard Redskins fan since he was a boy and it is a dream come true for him to see his team live. I bought him the tickets for his birthday back in May. Yeah, I know, I'm awesome. You don't need to remind me...

We hope that this finds you all well and that you are as excited about this Fall as we are. Thanks for reading our blog and we'll try to continue to remember to update it to keep everyone apprised of what's going on in our lives. God bless!

post and pics with the new new nephew

2008-08-09T10:33:00.001-07:00

For those of you who are interested, a blog post with pictures of Ryan Matthew Thiessen, our new nephew, can be found here.

our adventures on the TreeGo ropes course

2008-08-09T09:43:00.000-07:00

Here are a selection of pictures of Caitlin and I on the TreeGo ropes course a couple weekends back. Ziplines, obstacles, craziness and all of it up to 70 feet in the air! Yeehaw!

Getting ready:

Looking intrepid and fearless:

With Suzanne, the birthday girl and the whole reason for this excursion:

Caught unsuspecting:

The Binghams prepare to scale further heights of daring:

Caitlin, a.k.a. Tarzan, launches herself into space on the rope:

Matt on one of the many big ziplines:

Caitlin scaling one of the most difficult obstacles, approximately 70 feet in the air:

A good time was had by all and we thank Suzanne for inviting us to this exciting and challenging little soiree!

Canada Day Roadtrip or Fun with Ryan and Cindy!

2008-07-09T22:07:00.000-07:00

We had an extremely fun Canada Day as we road-tripped to Coombs (three cheers for the goats on the roof!) with our friends Ryan and Cindy. It was a gorgeous sunny day as we set out at 9:00 in the morning in the Corolla (International Car of the Librarian) with my Oh Canada! playlist blaring (all Canadian artists, all the time!). We stopped at the Pioneer House Restaurant (?) for a tasty breakfast and then continued on to the thriving Coombs market, which was HOPPING. We bought some gourmet stuff from the market, the girls tried on hippie dresses (while Ryan and I talked man stuff like....power tools and stuff), and we scored sweet waffle cones full of ice cream delights. I also rode a bear:

Cindy opted for a more traditional steed, as you can see:

I wonder how successful I was at mimicking this fish's face:

Caitlin and I learned, much to our delight, that Ryan is able to mimic the bleat of a goat better than any human being alive--it's incredible! I thought I was going to stumble into traffic along the highway at one point because I was laughing so hard. That guy is SO money...

It was a really fantastic day of travel and better getting to know two people for whom we have a deep affection and respect. We both look forward to many more good times with Ryan and Cindy in the future!

a (much needed) summer apprising!

2008-07-02T10:00:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that it's already July! We really must be more diligent about updating our blog for any of you who use it as your primary means of catching up with us!

The most recent big news on the Bingham front is that I (Matt) got a temporary full time position covering a maternity leave for up to a year with Greater Victoria Public Library. I am the World Languages librarian for the GVPL system, in charge of all the non-English language collections available at the library. It is a big score and will be really great experience for me, though I there will be a lot to learn. I am nervous, but excited to face a new challenge.

Caitlin has been doing well at her job and is learning new HR skills constantly. She is also now biking to work every day and it's helping to get her into better shape. We went and got her some biking gear and now she is outfitted nicely and ready to roll.

We have had the opportunity to spend some great time outdoors, going for walks and a recent bike trip with our friends Frank and Megan, taking the gorgeous regional trail out of town. We put in close to 40 kilometres that day and it was fantastic--such a perfect day for cycling!

Caitlin and I are so excited for the upcoming birth of our new niece/nephew as my sister Laura and her husband Curtis are due to have their first child on July 31. Also, my best friend, Andy, and his wife Jennie-Lynne are due about a month after Laura with their first child. We're stoked to be able to "practice" with these two little ones before perhaps having our own in a few years (and by a few years we mean a few years, so don't get any ideas folks!).

Caitlin and Laura

Caitlin and Jennie-Lynne

As you can see, life is going really well for us and we are so blessed and fortunate to be back in Victoria with our loved ones. We look forward to what the future brings and we hope that all of you are well. We will try to make a concerted effort to update our blog more often as there is always lots happening with us and we want you all to keep in touch! Until next time...

sorry for the delay...

2008-05-02T12:56:00.000-07:00

We realize it's been a long time since we updated our blog and so much has happened to us over the past month! We have happily settled into our new home and are very much enjoying having our own space. Here are some pictures:

Here is our living room:

The living room from another angle:

The kitchen, complete with the sweet moveable island we bought to improve our counter space:

Our entrance/dining room complete with our china cabinet and sweet coat hanger thingy:

Our bedroom, small but cozy:

The view of the house from the road (entrance to our suite is through the carport beside my green Corolla):

The lovely green front lawn, which we have a great view of from our place:

The "compound", where Caitlin and guests park their vehicles (street is super narrow and therefore there is no parking):

The backyard is huge:

Another shot from in the backyard:

And a view looking the other way in the backyard--it's really gigantic:

So, that's our place! We are really enjoying it and we hope that the pictures convey at least some of its peace and beauty.

In other news, I (Matt) have been hired as an auxiliary librarian by Greater Victoria Public Library. It's been a long time coming and I am absolutely thrilled to be there--I have been welcomed with open arms and it has been great to both meet new people and also catch up with those whom I spent the better part of eight years working with previously when I was a page. It's wonderful to be a professional and finally be working in my chosen field. Thanks so much to all the GVPL staff who have made me feel so welcome over during my first few days on the job. I am really looking forward to my work and what the future holds for me. I have been told that I will be getting called in a lot and there should be no shortage of hours for me, which is encouraging.

Well, there's the long-awaited (by some of you) update from the Binghams. We hope you are all well--God bless...

moving day!

2008-03-28T13:38:00.000-07:00

Moving day has arrived at last for the Binghams, and let me tell you, we're pretty stoked about it. It feels like our lives here are starting to settle down ever so slightly, though the Greater Victoria Public Library is still locked out. However, there are supposed to be mediated talks starting today, according to the word on the street, and so I am hopeful that they will soon find a solution to all the issues.

We will make sure to send out our new address to friends and family very soon so that you will all know how to contact us! Cheers...

Sooke B & B

2008-03-21T22:42:00.000-07:00

We had a great time last weekend at a B & B about 45 minutes outside of town near where we spent the first part of our honeymoon. It was my Valentine's Day present to Caitlin--we had a lovely lunch at My Chosen Cafe, a beautiful walk along the coastal trail at East Sooke Park, and a relaxing time hanging out in our cute little suite:

Our hosts, Peter and Gwen, were amazingly hospitable people. They met while working for the UN and had lived and traveled all over the world, thus they had some great stories to tell us. Peter was a great chef and the breakfasts were fantastic!

Next on the Matt/Caitlin agenda: the big move on the evening of Friday, March 28! We can't wait to have our own place...

high time for an update!

2008-03-12T11:01:00.000-07:00

Hello all!

Well, we thought that it was high time that we updated our blog and let everyone know what's going on in our lives.

Caitlin found work with Microserve, the company she used to work for before we were married, as the Staffing Coordinator for their Victoria office and she is enjoying the work very much. I am still applying for jobs and waiting to hear back, as well as hoping that the Greater Victoria Public Library lockout/strike ends soon that I can have a long-promised interview, which we all pray will lead to some work for me. I am filling my time with lots of interesting things: seeing friends, volunteering, doing a bit of paid labour here and there, blogging, reading, and taking care of the day-to-day details while Caitlin works. I get discouraged at times, but life is too good and being back in Victoria is too wonderful to stay down for long.

We have gotten involved in helping out with the senior high youth group at our church (my best friend, Andy, is the youth pastor there) and that has been fun so far as there is a great group of kids that we are starting to get to know. In addition, I have been playing some music and Caitlin and I may be doing a show together at our friends' cafe downtown sometime in the next couple months, which is both fun and a bit stressful as we need to find some things to play!

We move into our own place in a couple weeks, which we are both very excited about. We are living in the lower suite of my mother's best friend's new house. It is a lovely large suite, very bright, with lots of storage and it is out in the country in a beautiful area! We are really looking forward to having our own space, as nice as it has been to be hosted by family and live rent-free! We bought a second car, after much deliberation, because Caitlin's work and my (hopefully soon-to-be) work made it necessary do so--there is no bus route where our new place is, sadly.

This weekend we are heading out to a bed and breakfast near where we had the first part of our honeymoon, which was my Valentine's Day gift to Caitlin. The spot is gorgeous--right on the water. We have our own little suite with a kitchenette and bunch of other amenities.

We always welcome comments and e-mails (mattyandcaitlin@yahoo.ca) as we love hearing from all of you, near and far! Until our next post, God bless and take care...

update (BIG news)

2008-01-26T11:56:00.000-08:00

Hello all,

We just wanted to give you all another quick update on our lives. Caitlin got a job working for the company she used to work for before we were married, but in a far advanced capacity. She is going to be the Human Resources Coordinator for their Victoria office. She is nervous because she has never done this kind of work before, but excited at the challenge it will present. They were extremely eager to have her come back once they found out she was returning to Victoria to settle, which was a great confidence boost for her.

I (Matt) am applying for a few jobs here in Victoria and praying for success. It makes the job hunt a little easier with at least one of us bring in an income--I won't have to jump at the first job that comes along if it's not a good fit or not what I want.

Life is going well and the two of us are so happy to be home with our friends and family. Check this space for updates...

New Year update from the Binghams

2008-01-16T22:09:00.000-08:00

So, we are back in Beautiful BC and now the work begins as we search for jobs and a place to live. We are staying with Caitlin's parents, who are amazingly accommodating and supportive of us, always a good thing. Christmas was relaxing and enjoyable--it has been wonderful catching up with our friends and loved ones as we have been away since we got married.

The job hunting is going all right, though it can be a very daunting task. Both of us struggle at times with self-belief and end up being very pessimistic about our chances of landing jobs we really want. We are working hard to combat our cynicism!

There are so many things to do as we settle into life here, including getting our Europe pictures up online. When that happens, we'll make sure that you, our friends and loyal readers, are the first to know! All the best to y'all for now...

home sweet home (sort of...)

2007-12-27T17:47:00.000-08:00

As some of you know, we have made it safely back to Victoria after an incredible three months of backpacking Europe and visiting relatives in the UK. Though still jetlagged, we are having a great time catching up with our family and friends thus far and it is so nice that everyone is so happy to have us home.

We are staying with Caitlin's parents, who are graciously putting us up while we look for work and a place to live (hence the "sort of" in the title). Since arriving we have had three turkey dinners, insured our (free) car, tried to sleep, and visited with as many people as possible. The trip back to Canada went smoothly and everything (plane, bus, ferry) was on time, therefore we were able to coast into Matt's parents' house for the traditional Christmas Eve feast right on time. We had a great time in Belfast with a number of Caitlin's friends who were kind enough to both put us up and feed us. Belfast is really a lovely city--it seems like there is green everywhere you look, with hillsides and fields everywhere.

We will be continuing to post on our blog as often as possible in order to update everyone on our lives here in Victoria as we look for our own place and new jobs. It's looking good for Matt getting on with Greater Victoria Public Library as a casual librarian, while Caitlin is going to be looking for work also and is hoping to score a job at the University of Victoria or Camosun College because the pay and hours are good. We're hoping our respective connections here will result in reasonable employment opportunities for us. It should be interesting...

Thanks for reading this while we were in Europe and we hope that you will continue to check in with us via this blog. Matt will also be back to posting on The Bing Dynasty, his beloved blog, discussing/ranting about whatever tickles his fancy, be it music, books, etc. Until next time...

the greatest band in the land resides here...

2007-12-17T07:58:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! We are in Dublin right now before taking off for Belfast tomorrow. We have had a wonderful last couple weeks in London, Swindon, and Edinburgh. After leaving London, we went to stay with Margaret, Colin, Becky, Maurice (Caitlin's cousin), and baby Mya--it was awesome!! We relaxed at Margaret and Colin's farm just outside Swindon, called Flaxlands, and played with Maurice and Becky's 5 month old sweetheart, Mya. Matt loved meeting everyone, who treated him as part of the family, and Caitlin was so excited to catch up with family she had not seen in 4 or 5 years. A good time was had by all--we didn't want to leave everyone, but it was off to Edinburgh...

Edinburgh was one of Matt's favourite cities of the entire trip because of it's ancient architecture and relaxed feeling--it didn't hurt that it was a lovely day when we visited. Matt loved meeting Uncle Brian (such a lovely man and the funniest guy ever) and catching up with Auntie Joan (who was very sick with the flu) after first meeting her at the wedding last year. We also met the last aunt/uncle pair of Sally and Robin, as well as Caitlin's cousin Becky, and had a nice dinner with them at their home in Auchenfail.

Being that we are in Dublin, Matt wants to head out and stock Bono and Company, but Caitlin is denying him the privilege in favour of going for dinner and then relaxing this evening. We are taking the bus up to Belfast tomorrow and staying up there for 5 days before flying back to London to stay with Caitlin's aunt and uncle (again!!--they are so hospitable!) on the 23rd and then we are back to Canada the next day. We are having a great time in the UK, but are now ready to come home and not have to live out of backpacks anymore. We are in surprisingly good health and great spirits considering how long we've been away from home. Hope that this post finds everyone doing well, healthy, and happy. We look forward to seeing/talking to you all upon our return to Canada. We will try to update this one or two more times in the next week. Cheers...

greetings from Croxley Green

2007-12-06T07:57:00.000-08:00

Hello from lovely Croxley Green, west of London. We are staying with Caitlin's Aunt Dot and Uncle John, who have been so incredibly hospitable to us. We arrived in the UK last Thursday and spent the weekend with Caitlin's Uncle Graham and Aunt Karen, as well as her two cousins, Isaac and Caleb who were also wonderfully hospitable--they even gave up their bed for us! A grand time was had by all as we ate well, frequented craft fairs, went to the site of the Battle of Hastings (very cool!), and had some great chats--Matt loved getting to know members of his new family and did his best to give off a good impression. Sadly, he came down with a nasty head/chest cold that he is continuing to fight off.

We had an AMAZING time in Paris--the city ended up being so much more enjoyable than we ever would have expected. We took another free walking tour, run by the same company as the ones we took in Amsterdam and Berlin, and it was great. We were only in Paris for a day and a half, but we managed to see the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, Versailles, and a bunch of other sights. Our hotel was also very nice, which makes a big difference to the time you have in a place. We were even fortunate enough to be able to attend a concert by DB Clifford, who happened to be playing a free show on the first night we were in Paris--good times!

We are off to Swindon on Saturday to visit family and friends of Caitlin's before taking off to Scotland and then (fingers crossed) to Ireland. We are having a great time in England and our trip has been such a wonderful time for us both individually and as a couple, but we will be happy to get home to family and friends in Victoria at Christmas! We don't know what kind of internet connection we will have over the next little while, so if you don't hear back from us it probably means that we don't have the net or the connection is poor. Much love to you all...

an update from the Confoederatio Helvetica

2007-11-25T10:25:00.000-08:00

Greetings from the Confoederatio Helvetica, also known as Switzerland! Since leaving Nice we have had the most relaxing and enjoyable time in a little town nestled at the base of the Jungfraujoch, called Interlaken. The hostel here is incredible: clean, comfortable, with an amazing free breakfast, and it is run by the Christians also. Everyone here is so sweet and friendly and they seem to love having us here because of how much we love their country. We have day-tripped to Geneva, which was fun, been back up into the Alps today (to Gimmewald this time--another gorgeously sunny day) and explored the town of Interlaken, which itself is wonderful. We have also had the best Pad Thai of our lives at this little Thai place around the corner from the hostel twice. Sorry about the whole blog being one paragraph, but this machine's Enter key doesn't seem to want to work! Upon arrival in Interlaken after a full day of travel from France, and unsure as to whether we would have accommodations for the night, we arrived at this amazing hostel and were promptly booked into a 7-bed dorm (given a discount too!) with four other Canadians, all of whom were also Christians. We had run into this group in a few other cities on our tour and exchanged pleasantries so it was fun actually hanging out and living together for a couple days. We ate dinner together one night, went hiking, listened to music, and discussed our lives, both where we had been and where we were going (literally and figuratively). We then found out that if you stay five nights in a row at the hostel, the sixth night is FREE, hence we are staying here on Monday night as well before leaving for Paris early Tuesday morning. We are both going to find it hard to leave Interlaken, and Switzerland in general, because it has become a sort of home/haven for us. Matt says he has never felt as relaxed as he does here and Caitlin is continually saying how much she wants to live up in the hills above Interlaken in a wooden Swiss chalet. We will have wonderful memories of our time in Switzerland and both of us have said this is the one place that we will definitely return to for holidays. On a downer note, it's not looking good for our flights getting changed to an earlier date. Our good friend Mathieu is doing all he can to get them changed and has even sent this to his superiors, but thus far there has been no change. He said he will keep trying and let us know if there is a possibility closer to the date. Anyways, much love to all of our family and friends and we will do our best to update the blog again soon! Cheers...

changes

2007-11-20T01:05:00.000-08:00

The French train strike has made the possibility of us getting to Spain quite dicey and thus to avoid losing our deposit money and/or being charged for staying in the hostels we had booked in Spain, we canceled our Spanish jaunt and are now heading back into Switzerland (most likely). We may also head back and see some more places in Germany. We must be in Paris by November 27th to make our hotel booking and then we leave on the Eurostar back to the UK on November 29. It is nice to have so much freedom with our Eurail pass that we can just go where we want at the drop of a hat. We just wanted to update all of you and let you know--when we know exactly where we are going, we will do our best to update you here on the blog. Much love to you all!