Summer so far...

July, where did you go???

The heart of summer and it is so, so lovely.  This is the first summer I haven't taken significant time off of work to just be and have some kind of adventure away.  It has been a mental challenge for me, a lesson in positivity. So despite having to work five and six days a week, I have been trying to squeeze in as much summer goodness as possible.

The camera hasn't always been with me but here are some random captured moments...

Summer so far has included:

* going to a few free outdoor music concerts

* bike camp for the girl

* an impromptu overnight trip to Whistler with friends

* days and days of sun and warm, warm weather... I love summer for that alone

* crushing on evening light

* biking

* swimming lessons for the girl

* picnics by the water

* our first Vancouver Canadians baseball game

* outdoor pools with friends

* Playland

* LOTS of ice-cream

* dance camp for the girl

* Giro di Burnaby

* chickadees choosing to nest in our bird house

* eating straight from the garden, strawberries, alpine strawberries, blueberries, raspberries

* bbqing

* hummingbirds frequenting the yard every day

* R.I.P Mr CocoBeans... I miss you everyday when I look at your empty place

* second annual mother/daughter pedicure and lunch date

* helping our neighbours lay a new patio

* evening games of badminton

* movie making camp for the girl

* crushing on spider webs... especially when the light hits them just so

* watching fireworks from the rooftop of friends house

* waiting for the tomatoes in the garden to ripen

* watching from my perch on the patio, the birds, bees, butterflies, dragonflies, squirrels and bats who visit our garden everyday...

Yup, work aside, summer so far is very, very good...

26/52 to 30/52

26/52

27/52

 

 28/52

 29/52

 30/52

 

Your summer so far has been a pleasant balance.

More structured programs and activities than ever before, more time spent with friends than ever before.

Exploring and revisiting places around home like a true 'staycation'.

But plenty of time at home relaxing and reading and spending quiet moments.

Making your special summer memories and mine too.

Mama xo

A portrait of my daughter, every week for the year of 2014

Spontaneity

The other day, I was sitting at work thinking about last summer and our big road trip across Canada and other previous summer escapades.  I was feeling a little sorry for myself that this summer would be more about working ... a lot... and not so much about adventure which has become so much a part of our summers.

I realized later in the day, that the work shift I thought I had the next day didn't exist.  It was a glorious summer day, I had the next day off.  I figured, there is a car, we have camping gear, it is the middle of the week and the local campgrounds shouldn't be completely full.  Let's do it!

I got home at 3pm, dropped the girl off at 4pm for dance classes, came home, changed, packed up basic overnight camping gear and food, picked her up at 6:30 and said 'Surprise!  We are going camping!'.  She looked at me a little perplexed but went along with it.  (I did invited the Papa to come along but he chose not to... in case you were wondering).

We stopped to pick up a few necessary provisions, put some gas in the car and by 8pm were in Squamish at our campsite.  Thank goodness for long days as it gave us time to set up the tent, have dinner and then take a walk to the lake in the twilight.

The bats... oh the bats!  I DO love the bats...  they were dancing in the skies above us, silently fluttering and swooping.  Some were swooping so low that I could feel the breeze from their wings on the top of my head.  They were skimming the surface of the water catching the insects as the fish were popping to the surface to nip the insects from below.

We got back to our site and tucked in to our tent, headlamps on, books open.  I listened to campfires crackling, children telling each other stories in the other tents around us.  When it was finally dark, my girl was snuggled well in to her sleeping bag, sleeping soundly and breathing softly.

The next morning, I got up and made the tea while my girl had a sleep in.  I sat reading, listening to the birds and watching everyone wake up around me.  I finally heard rustling from our tent. She got up and we had some breakfast.  We took down the campsite together as I marveled that my girl was no longer a little girl but old enough to actually almost be an equal partner in these kinds of activities.

She decided that she absolutely wanted to go swim in the lake before we left so with the car packed up, we left our site and headed to the day use area.  It was another beautiful sunny day but there was a strong cool wind blowing.  The water was nippy and no one was in it.  But my girl, she trudged on determinedly in to the lake... to about her knees.  Stood there a moment, turned around, walked back out, wrapped herself in the towel and pulled out her book.  A few hours later, we were home.

For many reasons, this will not be a typical summer for us.  But I don't want to get so bogged down with the stresses of life that we lose those special moments that make summers memorable... especially for our girl.  So while we may not be taking a seven week road trip, we can take little moments when the opportunity arises to do something surprising and fun and very memorable.  I will hold this little 'girls trip' in my heart for a long, long time.  I hope it is the first of many to come.

Victoria

Last month, we went over to Victoria a couple of times... once for a choir tour and the other for a quick little visit with my sister, my niece and her two sweet, sweet little girls.  Here are a few bits and pieces from those days.

Such a lovely place to visit, Victoria is.  Whether we are seeing something for the first time or visiting something we have seen before, we always enjoy our time there.  Even the ferry trip back and forth is enjoyable.  Some of the best sunsets I have seen in my life have been from that ferry crossing.

This summer, travels will be kept to a minimum but I hope we can still get in little trips here and there.  Even a day or two away and a little change of scenery can be good for the soul.

Here is to happy (and safe) summer travels.