Our first Bowyer Island family boondoggle....

Hello friends! How is your Summer going? Can you believe how quickly it is flying by? We just spent a lovely weekend away with our relatives. Do you do family getaways with your extended family? I can't tell you how much I love them - it's the best way to pack in ample, uninterrupted quality time. It also helps that this group is hilarious. I swear, I spent so much time doubled over laughing that my cheeks were sore by the end of the weekend (the ones on my face) - and it doesn't get better than that for me. Being outside all weekend, in this stunning setting, I swear, adds years to our lives. Every time I'm spending time in BC's beautiful coastal islands, I always tell whoever is in earshot, that this is how we're meant to live. Here's a little peek into our weekend over on Bowyer Island:

 The island is only accessible by boat.

This is the island's communal Kawasaki Mule used to cart everyone's gear from the dock to the cabins.

This would be the island's main roadway and since the only vehicle is that Kawasaki, traffic jams are pretty minimal.

 Getting back to nature. Ye old poop deck.(The cabin itself had a composting toilet in the bathroom, but it's for "#1" jobs only).

This time together means Everything to me. 

 Al Fresco dining at its best. 

 A beautiful visitor.

 Cocktails + Cards Against Humanity = Hilarity. It's simple math.

(For those wondering, the cabin lights are run off solar power or by propane).

The Kildare Estates beach.

ello ello.

 The diving platform.

 An awesome way to spend the day.

 The gang.

xoxo

Images from the weekend....

 Papa came over for brunch in his new toy. He always tells me he sells carpet, but I'm beginning to think he might just be James Bond. 

 We went to Confederation Park, for the first time ever, and just loved it. We brought a picnic, went on the amazing miniature steam railway, played in the water park, climbed around on the great playground and took another spin on the train (because I was kind of geeking out about how much fun it was). If you're looking for a wonderful place to spend a Summer day with your little ones, I'd definitely add this park to your list.

We also caught this sweet gem of a movie this weekend (Inside Out) with our friends. Everyone really enjoyed it. Have you seen it? I loved the concept: our emotions are brought to life in individual characters (Like Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, etc) and the core memories we create foster the growth of our personality islands ( like Family, Friendship, Goofiness).  Even though Joy takes center stage, I think the movie beautifully illustrates the importance that sadness plays in our lives, and how joy and sadness work together to give our lives depth and complexity. Check it out. xoxoxo

get into nature.....

Hello friends! I saw these beautiful creatures this week. I'm trying to make our days of Summer full of mini adventures, so that each day stands out from the next. I saw this little video (below) and found it truly inspiring about how important it is to see new things, to see the world with child-like enthusiasm and break out of our daily routine. Jot a little list of mini adventures for yourself this Summer - pack up your dinner and eat it at the beach, do a little road trip to a town you've never seen before, learn how to cook something gourmet, hike a new trail, try a new sport like paddle boarding, fly in a float plane....whatever new experiences you can conjure up. Make each day count. xoxo

The Thousand Year Journey: Oregon To Patagonia from Kenny Laubbacher on Vimeo.

Happy Days of Summer!!

Hello Friends! I hope you're enjoying the first week of Summer! It's without a doubt, my favourite time of year because we max out on our time spent in the great outdoors. Here's a few pics from our week:

Camping with friends to kick off the Summer

 Waking up in a tent with these two cuties....

 Hang time with my favourite faces

 Dining Al Fresco for Dad's birthday

 My Aunt's killer creation

 A perfect picnic spot with awesome friends

 You know the day is going to be great when it starts like this.....

BC fruit

Fish tacos and beer with my favourite date

I hope you're enjoying these gorgeous Summer days! xoxo

'tis the season....

A gorgeous day with awesome friends pickin and patchin. It's these moments. xoxo

Whistler!

 Within 5 minutes of our arrival. 

 They walked through the village together like this. A mountain biker sporting dreadlocks shouted, "yo, that's the cutest thing everrrr!!" Pretty unexpected.

 Hang time with the family. 

oh, it's on

 While my hubby sped down the mountain's more extreme runs on a downhill bike, I sported this rad ride with my gal on the Valley Trail. Pretty much the same coolness factor. A gorgeous day for riding.

 I kept looking at this view thinking, does it get any better than this?

 My friend Care, catching a view of Green Lake.

Amazing soft landing. So, now I guess we swim to shore?

 We spent a lot of time at the bumpy slide. A Mega Hit. Nothing says getting away from it all like a vacation playground.

 I asked them their favourite part of the trip and they all said it was playing together.

 The day before, this park was thumping with a giant beer garden. My hubby and I looked through the fence as people listened to music, drank beer and high fived....we silently let tears roll down our cheeks and then we convinced ourselves that they were just jealous that they weren't having a rad time at the playground. We high fived as well, but it seemed ill placed.

Snack break on route home. Say Cheese! 

It was a wonderful getaway with the family. Unfortunately, my mom was sick the whole trip, stuck in her hotel room. The timing was rough, but it was still pretty amazing for us all to be on the same floor of a hotel, popping in for visits and sharing meals. It's pretty awesome to be able to say, "we're going to hit the park for a bit, but let's meet up in an hour for a swim.....or let's all stroll through the village in an hour for dinner." Whistler is the perfect spot because once you're there, the car is out of sight the whole weekend and there is so much to do, right at your doorstep. Do you take vacations with your folks?

xoxo