Have a rad weekend!

Source: chelseawoosh.tumblr.com via Anabel on Pinterest

What are you up to for the weekend? We're getting out of dodge. Travelling with a baby is kind of like going on a business trip, you get to have a change of scene, you can drink with friends, but you still have to get up really early and work your ass off.  We're thinking of getting our daughter a pin striped suit to go with her nickname the 18 pound boss. "I wanted sweet potatoes, what is this, butternut squash? You're fired!!"

a little bit of this

I hope your day felt a little bit like this. There is so much exhilaration when you try new things.

in dreams

Do you have a recurring dream? I don't mean a recurring dream like I'd love to win the lottery or I'd love to make out with Javier Bardem... I mean the message your subconscious keeps trying to tell you through repeated dreams...
I had mine again last night: I am searching for a toilet and the ones I find are either completely disgusting (think Mexican truck stop) or completely public (think Home Depot toilet display), rendering them useless. It turns out this means that I need to let go of something or purge something that has blocked me. Do you have any recurring dreams lately? Apparently mine is quite common (placing #9 in the top 10 most common dreams) - here are the others:

10) Feeling trapped: means something/someone is holding you back from your full potential
9) Toilet dream described above
8) Drowning: you are overwhelmed by circumstances in your life
7) Flying: you have freedom to express yourself
6) Running in slow motion/going nowhere: facing hardships and obstacles.
5) Losing your teeth: feel powerless in a real life situation
4) Naked in Public: if you feel proud: you have nothing to hide and are read to come clean with a situation or that you are not afraid to fail. If you feel ashamed about being naked in your dream, it can mean you are very insecure or feel vulnerable in a relationship.
3) Lost/unprepared (You have a test you haven't studied for, can't find your classroom): anxiety about change or insecure about your abilities/performance
2) Falling: feeling abandoned/fear of abandonment
1) Chased: Running away from something (but it might be a talent you are not acknowledging or a love you aren't admitting to yourself.)

Have you had some of these dreams? When I was trying to get pregnant, I often dreamt that my teeth were falling out (#5 on the list). Do some of these dreams occur more regularly for you during a certain phase of your life?

camping with babies

oh hi! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. We took Stella on her first camping trip. It ended up being a tonne of fun. We rented a tent trailer to see how it compared to our usual tenting. Also, as owners of a small SUV, there's no way we could fit our dog, baby and all of our camping gear without some kind of trailer. Have you seen how much gear babies travel with? It is like travelling with a little diva - she has four bags to our one. The tent trailer was perfect because we could load it up with all of our camping gear before we hit the road. We camped at Sasquatch Park. We wanted to pick a spot close to home in case it ended up being a shisaster and, did I mention Harrison Hot Springs was close by? This was our plan B in case camping went sideways - we could spend our weekend gallivanting at Harrison in fuzzy white robes. 

It's funny because our campsite neighbours were a group of 50-60 year olds, not the usual crew to make you feel like you drew the short straw of camp sites. But fast forward to almost 2 a.m when all you've heard is a whole lot of "Whoot whoots! "Hell Yeahs!" "Drink!Drink!Drink! "Whooohooooos!" plus the entire Def Leppard Hysteria album and you will see why I was in a private hell. Fortunately Stella was asleep through it all, but I knew she'd be up at 6 and my sleep window was quickly shrinking. I didn't want to send my hubby over, because a bunch of drunk guys could turn aggressive really quickly. So, I just curled up in a ball and tried to find my happy place. I'm pretty sure I also told Craig it was the worst night of my life, but I do tend to get dramatic rather quickly when my sleep is in jeopardy. In the morning we complained to the park ranger that we would need a new campsite because we couldn't handle a second night next to baby boomers gone wild. But lo and behold, they had 10 friends arriving that night to celebrate one of their birthdays and needed a bigger site. It was like a mirage, our eyes dewed up with tears of joy as we saw them pull down their tarps. The sun came out, and we danced like no one was watching. Our friends we were camping with had an adventure of their own when their dog Hercules rolled over on their tent trailer bed and fell out one of the canvas sides. They had to try and round him up in the dark while he did his "I'm freaking free!" sprint up the road. They caught him - partly because they love him and partly due to the fact they knew as a pug he had zero survival skills in the wild. 

I was relieved that Stella did well during the camping experience because it is something Craig and I really want her to grow up with. She slept great and didn't have any problems. A few tips for camping with babies - our friends bought their baby a great waterproof jumpsuit so he could crawl around without wrecking his clothes. (see 2nd photo from the top). They also had this great bunting suit from MEC that provided extra warmth at night, which was a lot better than the five layers I put Stella in, rendering her arms pretty much immobile. (She looked like a letter T).  Camping is definitely one of those things you either love or hate. I think it depends on what you grew up doing. I definitely love camping, it's in my blood. But don't get me wrong, I teared up when I spotted my big comfy bed last night. 

tattoos, yes or no?

photo courtesy of visualize.us

Remember when you were young and you thought someone was a bad ass because they had a tattoo? When I was little I pretty much assumed that people with tattoos are naturally members of biker gangs. Tattoos have become so commonplace now that it seems it's more unique if you don't have one. Would you get one? I saw a man on the beach who had his entire back tattooed with the band "Korn". Now, if he's a member of Korn, then yes, that makes sense and serves as an awesome reminder of the fame he has achieved. If he is in no way affiliated with the band Korn, he may be rethinking that decision at age 65, or, perhaps now.

If you got one, where would you put it? Would you want it somewhere you could see it or would you prefer to put it somewhere more hidden, like your back? What would you get to truly represent who you are? Would you get something subtle or go big? Would you design your own? I am a huge fan of meaningful quotes written in a beautiful script. More recently I've been tempted to get my daughter's name on my wrist or arm (somewhere I could look at it daily where it wouldn't lose its shape too quickly.) I think tattoos, especially full sleeves, definitely look sexy on the right body (ie-like Beckham above.) Do you have a tattoo? If not, do you want one? 

summertime and the livin' is easy

Tomorrow is the first day of summer. Do you have anything fun planned? Do you like to travel this time of year or stay closer to home and take advantage of the good weather here? Just please don't call it a "staycation", that expression makes me vomit a little in my mouth every single time I hear it uttered.
Personally, I love to explore B.C. during the summer and save our international travelling for when the weather takes a nosedive here (Nov. through Apr. par example ). What are you most excited about this summer?
Here's some fun local things to do in the great outdoors:
Farmer's Markets - fresh, local, supportive
Baseball games at Nat Bailey  - friends, hot dogs (veggie or mystery), beer, sunshine, yes please
Wine tasting! Sorry, I realize putting an exclamation mark after it detracts from its inherent class, but I get quite excited about our BC wineries
Camping - you love it or hate it. I think it usually depends if you grew up camping or not. Outdoor cooking, campfires, hiking, all washed down with s'mores? Oh diggity.
Hiking -bliss(ters)
outdoor movies
outdoor concerts  & festivals
water sports (paddle boarding, kayaking, canoeing)
weekend getaways - the best time of year to explore our beautiful province
patio dining & picnics - so, food basically
riding bikes around Stanley Park
downhill biking at Whistler - love!
These are just some of my favourite summer activities. For a lot of people it is also the beloved golf season. I don't pretend to know anything about golfing - the first time I tried it, I got my very first shot onto the green and thought, well this sport is clearly too easy for me and then I think I spent the rest of the day saying "Mulligan!" So I appreciate those who play the game.
Whatever you love, fill up your calendar and savour this season!

Happy Father's Day my love!

I always knew you'd be a wonderful father and you prove me right each and every day. 

Stella is one lucky gal. It isn't surprising her first word is dada.

xo