Pender Island, B.C.

 This past weekend I had the amazing fortune to gather with six lovely women for a Pender Island getaway. It was one of the best wildlife experiences I have had - from seeing a pod of at least 15 killer whales go splashing by our patio, to hand feeding deer in the garden....it just felt like we were at the right place at the right time. One afternoon we even had a deer follow us along on a walk....it was definitely a magical weekend. We found new trails to venture, ate gourmet meals cooked by the group, danced the night away - it was all that you could ask for from a great getaway.

Hornby Island, B.C.

I'm a huge fan of B.C.'s Gulf Islands - there's something so utterly charming about the way people live - the pace, the natural beauty, the roadside stands full of beautiful flowers or farm fresh veggies...

We spent four days camping on Hornby Island and it quickly won me over. Here are a few images from our getaway:

They wanted to help build the campfire....but I think they might have mixed it up with Jenga because it's looking like they're building a four alarm blaze.

These moments  are what it's all about.

Early morning reading

This photographer had heart palpitations during the making of this photo.

Who's a cutie?

Tribune Bay

Breakfast outside, campstove coffee and these two - heaven.

The beautiful bluffs at Helliwell Provincial Park. Helligreat.

Cardboard House Bakery: Delicious food within a parklike setting with a giant bike rack for people to come gather on their travels. I couldn't recommend this island more. xo

Harrison Hot Springs

We had a mini getaway to Harrison for one of Craig's bike races. He shaved an entire hour off his time last year and placed 12th overall! It was such an awesome experience for us to celebrate with him. Even though it was just an overnight getaway, sitting in those hot springs, going out for a nice dinner and staring out at that gorgeous lake sure was rejuvenating.

Mill Lake Park, Abbotsford

Hi friends! How's your Summer been? Over the next short while, I'm going to play catch up on some of our little highlights so far....I hope you've had a wonderful time enjoying the great outdoors! This is definitely the time when our province makes it oh so appealing to stay close to home. It's just beautiful. Here are some photos from back at the end of June. One of my favourite things to do is to explore places I've never been before. Here's a beautiful park to walk around, complete with a water park and numerous playgrounds along the little 2.5 km lakeside loop. It's called Mill Lake, and it was a great spot to spend the day and bring a picnic.

for the birds....

Today our sweet friends picked us up to have an adventure. I can't tell you how grateful I am to have these days together. We started at the bird sanctuary(one of my all time favourite spots) and ended our trip on a local farm, having a picnic in a beautiful covered gazebo as the girls played the day away. The best things in life sure don't cost much - time shared, laughing so hard that a little pee comes out, savouring coffee, walking through gorgeous parkland, spotting wildlife, and ending the day with ice cream. Seriously, pinch me. 

Living the dream

This weekend we went to visit my niece's gorgeous home in Mission. It was the most spectacular piece of property I have had the luck of exploring. I think she's pretty much going to have to live there forever because I can't imagine a more beautiful place to call home.

 The view from their front yard

 The view from the back yard (Yes, the mountain is also on their property).

 Papa, having a blast. 

 Their beautiful homestead.

Our daughter tossing sticks for one of three awesome dogs living on the property.

Watching her have so much fun adventuring around the property made me just keep thinking, this is how we are supposed to live - not sitting in traffic running around doing errands, but just enjoying everyone's company, playing in the great outdoors and ignoring the clocks.

Someone has to keep all those dogs in line.

Sweet cousins