Spring Skiing in Vancouver

This picture is from Grouse mountain, on a nice spring day you get a fantastic view of the city and you can even see Mount Baker (not in the picture though). Spring skiing is nice but it does get a little slushy.

Bert and I have made it home and the cold spell we are having here is quite a difference for us. This photo was taken in a courtyard in Rio Grande City where we had gone for lunch with some friends.

Dutch Passport

I have successfully received my Dutch passport. I am officially recognized as a dual citizen. I’ll describe my situation so my cousins who are interested in getting their passport can do the same. First off, your father should have been born in Holland but left before the age of …I’m not sure. At least 13 I think. Second, you must apply for the passport before you turn 28 (ten years plus the age of majority). You will also need a bunch of documents that take weeks to process. It took me about 4 months to finish everything. Here are the documents you need:

1) Your father’s Dutch passport or the passport which his name was mentioned in when he came to Canada. That passport exists and has all the kids names in it.

2) If you can’t find the passport, you need proof he was a Dutch citizen before he left Holland through:

Bureau Vestigings Register BVR

Spui 70, 2511 BGT Den Haag or Postal address:

Posbus 12620

2500 DL Den Haag

The Netherlands

Tel: 011-31-70-353-3171

Fax: 011-31-70-353-2850

3) You need your father's long form citizenship certificate. This was awkward for me because Canada no longer issues the long form, only the short form (which dad had). The long form citizenship form can be requested by the consulate directly to whatever Canadian department handles it. I brought both the short form citizenship form and the long form (we still had it but it had been invalidated) and that was accepted.

4) You father's large size birth certificate. This I got with much assistance from Fokke Ypma (thanks again!!) You have to contact where you father was born to get this birth certificate. Hmmm, I can’t remember the details of how all this worked out. Perhaps Fokke has some insight.

5) Your parent’s long form marriage license available at your provincial Bureau of Vital Statistics. This document must be legalized by mail or in person at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Ottawa. (see address below).

6) Your large size birth certificate. Also available at the provincial Bureau of Vital Statistics and this must also be legalized at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Ottawa.(they do have a website)

7) Two full face pictures (different size than Canadian passport photos). If they need to be signed I don’t know. I had my supervisor (Prof.) sign them just in case.

8) Your Canadian passport or driver’s license.

9) $77.20 cash in the exact amount.

Legalizing Canadian documents: The original certificates must be legalized by

Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

125 Sussex Drive

Ottawa ON,

K1A 0G2

So I gathered all the documents, went to the consulate in Vancouver and they helped me fill out the passport application, took my money and in 4 weeks I went back to pick it up. So I am officially a dual citizen, I have a European Union passport which makes working in the EU much easier.

Texas

Bert and I are now in Falcon State Park in Texas (along the Rio Grande River), where we have stayed in previous years. The weather has been just great with temperatures an average of 27 degrees. Not too tough to take huh?

Hello all you cold people! I hope everyone is well. How is the weather? Here it hasn't gone below+30 since before mom and Betts and Zach were here - the poor things melted! Anyway, I have still not learned how to post photos on Blog, so if any of you would like to see photos of the trip (and of my non-university life after christmas) then sign up with www.ringo.com - it's free and SO easy to post photos - so maybe I can get some from all of you as well!
Take care everyone, love you all heaps,
Love
~Sarah~

Of course these two had to get stuck but luckily they were able to pull one another out.

After we got our tree Carly took the skidoo and Bert drove the 4 wheeler to the shack at the pond at Johnny's. It was a beautiful crisp winter day...perfect for Christmas tree cutting.

Carly did some snowshowing the day we got our Christmas tree at our farm.

Aukje played us a little tune on the piano during our visit.

Bert resting on Sunday afternoon at Aukje and Pierre's place. Aukje and him were quite a pair on the Saturday evening!!

Wyatt and Jericho dropped in at Bert and Marianne's on Halloween.

Marianne, Anne Marie and Isabel having a chat.

Bert, Donna and Marianne at Tavis and Amy's wedding reception.

Gabrielle, Marie-Claire, Tegan and Zak pose for a group photo.

This picture was taken shortly after the ceremony.

Bert decided not to wear his "bee outfit" and within a very short period of time a bee stung him below his eye. That will teach him to wear his protective clothing.

Mike and Sonja dancing at the reception.

The photographer left the girls while taking the photos of the guys and Bert thought they should look like they were fishing.

A great shot of the bride and her family. The pictures were taken in the woods behind Jason and Anne Marie's place.

The photographer set up this shot of the guys running to meet the girls and I managed to get a picture of it as well.