Other Summer 2018 Highlights

Besides are summer vacation, we had many other great summer days!!

We kicked the summer off with a July long weekend camping trip to Cross Lake Provincial Park with my parents! It was Quinn's first camping trip and she did quite well :) The weather wasn't the greatest but we did get in some tubing, fishing and lots of baseball!! One day Blake caught a jack fish, while out fishing with my Dad. He was so excited when he got back to the trailer! He told me all about it and how they released it and then said, "I'm so happy! I love camping!" It almost made me cry to hear him say that!! There's just nothing better than hearing that from one of your kids :) Thanks Mom and Dad for a great weekend!!

 
On the 5th we got picked up in the Bucci bus and headed to the Legislature grounds to cool off in the fountains :) Great day with one of our favorite families!! Love those Bucci's!!

On the weekend of July 7, Cal headed down south to race in the Sin 7 race and Emerson went to a friends cabin for 2 nights. So it was just Blake, Reese and I at home which was weird but fun! We took Quinn for lots of walks and to the park! Cal had a great time at Sin 7. His team did not get disqualified this year, the weather was better than last year and they rented a house this time instead of camping in a field!! So no ant bites this year, lol! He ran leg 4 again this year and was back in Edmonton on Sunday afternoon, just in time to rescue me as I had locked my keys in the van at the library!! Emerson had fun at her friends cabin but found that 2 nights away felt a bit long.

 

On July 8 we had Colby and Jenna over for a sleepover. The kids had a great time and loved having their cousins over!! We took a long bike ride to the park and enjoyed the sun :)

On the 11th we picked up Blake's friend Gavin and headed to the Summerside beach for a beach day with the Stecyk's! The weather was great, my shoulders burned and we all had fun!! On the way home we stopped in at 7-11 for free slurpee day! A great way to end the day :) Thanks for having us, Stecyk's!! Always a great time!!

 

On the 13th it was off to Calgary for lax provincials!! We had a great weekend with our lax family and even snuck in a visit with the Parenteau's!! We watched a lot of great lax, Blake played so well and the team left Calgary with a silver medal! They were so close to coming back in the gold medal game but should be very proud of themselves for bringing home silver! A great weekend and experience!!

And now it's August and the days of summer are dwindling :( But we still have a few weeks left, so here's to making the most of it!! Our weather has been so good, we've been very lucky! Hope it continues into September!!

Cheers,

Tracy

Summer Vacation

Summer vacay ... 2018 edition!!

We had another wonderful summer road trip!! This year we stayed in Canada but kind of regretted not being able to visit a Target during this road trip ... lol!! We visited some new places this time and loved them all :) Here's a re-cap of our favorites!!

Our first stop was just outside Kananaskis! We parked in a casino parking lot for the night, just to break up the drive to BC! A quick supper and games night in the trailer and we were off to sleep and up early the next morning, ready and excited to hit the road. It's funny how these little 1 nighters in a parking lot can be fun but the kids do seem to get a kick out of them!!

Stop two was Revelstoke, BC. We LOVED the little campground we stayed at, Williamson Lake Campground. Our site was small but right on the playground and the lake was beautiful. The kids enjoyed the water and meeting new friends! The girls met a girl from Vernon who they played with for a few days, until she had to leave and another friend from St. Lucia!! They also played with a girl from Germany and I really enjoyed listening and watching them as they tried to learn a little bit of German and tried to teach their new friend a little bit of English! It was getting late one evening when they were playing but Cal and I decided we'd allow them to stay up later as they were having so much fun and the 'international relations' were fun to watch ;) In Revelstoke we also visited the Giant Cedars Boardwalk and did some walking around town and geocaching. We played a lot of cards and enjoyed the warm weather!! It was a nice, relaxing stop!!

Stop three was one of our faves - Wright's Beach Campground in Penticton, BC. We visited for the first time last year and had to go back this year!! Gerry and Lesley and kids also camped with us again this year. We had a great time! We looooove Penticton!! So much to do and see and the weather is perfect :) Soooo hot but it doesn't matter when you can jump into beautiful Okanogan Lake or Skaha Lake!! We enjoyed beach days, 2 floats down the river, a visit to the Wibit and lots of walking and ice cream!! Oh and tons of hours in the pool!! The kids just love the pool. The adults enjoyed adult beverages and crib games at night while the kids were in bed!! We visited the Penticton sign this year as well and enjoyed a visit from the Parenteau's for 1 night! We all had dinner at Auntie Sharon's again this year and this time Auntie Madeleine joined us as well! It was great to see them. Cal, the kids and I also popped in to visit my Great Aunt Gwen and Great Uncle Frank. They are looking fantastic and have a very nice condo in a great spot in downtown Penticton! We parked there and then walked to the Farmer's Market downtown. We also visited Cannery Brewing this summer and fell in love with it!! The Tyson's had recommended it and we're so glad we went, can't wait to go back! Cal is now on the hunt for a Growler ;) And we let the kids enjoy a treat from the Peach this year ... the milkshakes are like a meal!! So fun! Again we did some geocaching in Penticton and one adventure Cal and Blake went on, had me driving to pick them up as they'd walked many km's from the campground!! We had a lot of fun with Quinn. She loved the water and there was even a dog beach we could take her too and swim with her!! She loved swimming and loved digging in the sand :) She met a few doggy friends as well, who she enjoyed wrestling with!! While we were on vacation she outgrew her kennel and ended up sleeping with us!

The final stop on this summer's journey was Golden. We'd only seen Golden from the highway and were quite surprised by how nice it was!! It's a great little town! The campground was on a river and very nice and the town pool was a short walk away! The kids had a blast at the pool one day and we also took a drive up to Kicking Horse Resort and decided to take a chair lift up to the Grizzly Bear Refuge on the mountain!!! We all loved this experience and learned so much! We actually got to see Boo the bear and the kids thought it was pretty cool!! We'd go back for sure!

It was a fabulous vacation. The weather was amazing and the time together was priceless. I'm so grateful for these camping experiences and memories, there's nothing like them!

We're home now and ready for a fun August!! I'll have to update you on the beginning of July as well :) Talk to you soon!!