Milestones

Ahhh the joys of getting home after a short but rather exhausting weekend!

Just in time to celebrate mom's 91st birthday...

Another amazing milestone.

It was very providential that Daniel & Nicole were in Kelowna for the occasion. 

They've both finished their semester in Vancouver and were happy to come home for a break and to visit friends and family.

Always nice to have extras in the family circle to make special events feel more celebratory.

Especially now that we are down to so few. 

Tante Hilda baked the famous Napoleon Torte.

Mom always provided this beloved cake for special occasions and it was very much enjoyed. 

I hope to carry on the tradition some day.

Even Patrice has created this somewhat complicated cake but I have yet to try making it.

It's now officially on my bucket list.

I believe it is the only thing on there, come to think of it.

Beloved Daniel spent quite a bit of time visiting with his Opa and it was very precious.

There are few things he has to look forward to in his days and it was beautiful to see him engage so animatedly with his grandson.

Scenic Spots & Chai Honey Cake

This little guy was up to bid us farewell as we packed up our car and headed out for our last day of adventuring on the island.

So many scenic spots and so much color!

From travellers to tea shops...

We went back to an oceanside restaurant we had supper at last night to enjoy some morning goodies.

 I had a hot cup of chai with a piece of the most incredibly delicious chai honey cake while sitting and looking out at this view.

Happy Birthday to me!!!  

It was a little piece of heaven.

I love this picture of the girls.

"Pensive."

There were all sorts of funky stores and cutesy corners to investigate.

Thankfully there was no rain making the experience that much more enjoyable.

We made sure to be near the front of the line getting onto the ferry bound for Vancouver Island.

We did NOT want to miss our chance and have to take the night ferry as we still had to get all the way back to Kelowna.

And thankfully we made it straight onto the homebound ferry where we had lots of time to enjoy the views and play games.

Games are serious business with this bunch...

Our final group selfie before getting into our cars and heading our separate ways.

Joanna's mother in law picked her up in Tsawassen and Leanne and I dropped Patrice off at Brooksdale before we spent our final four hours talking, praying and worshiping as we sped over the mountains towards home sweet home.

Rainy Day Cafe

Our cabin came with breakfast which was a pleasant surprise! 

Look at that fun fruit pie we got to enjoy along with some fresh home baked muffins.

YUM.

What a nice way to start the day.

Salt Spring Island is really lovely.

Even in the rain.

Patrice and I were venturing out to watch the lambs and visit with Butt-Head but the wet wood gave us a bit of a ride.

Thankfully Patrice is an ace at navigating strange wheelchair scenarios.

I landed very softly on top of her and we had a good laugh.

We checked out the animals before heading out on our adventure and Patrice & Joanna spent some time with the horses before we jumped in the car.

The tide was out and the clouds were heavy with rain.

We ventured through a farmer's market and a little town that I've already forgotten the name of!

This fellow was getting a carriage ride at the market.

He looked nice and cozy despite the rain and cool weather. 

Patrice found us a very cozy little cafe where we enjoyed hot drinks and cookies.

Perfect for a wet afternoon.

Back at the cabin we enjoyed pizza's and abundant snacks while playing "Querkle".

There are always games to be played when we travel with the Wilson's!

Such fun and so relaxing.

An Animal Farm

We arrived at our little Salt Spring holiday/farm cabin after two ferry rides.

  We just missed the second ferry so we had a two hour wait at the terminal.

The day was lovely and sunny with a forecast of rain so it was a little unfortunate to spend it traveling but we are a resilient bunch! 

We were welcomed by all sorts of friendly animals which was such a delight.

The sheep were particularly enjoyable as there were lambs and lots of bleating going on.

The ram made an unbelievably strange sound - kind of like a screaming belch.

Who knew?

He was affectionately named "Butt-Head" by the resident farmers.

The cabin was cozy, overlooking the ocean with a hot tub and fire pit available for our use.

Unfortunately the bed was VERY high for me to try to vault onto so the girls sprang into motion and rearranged the mattresses so that I would be able to get on and off the bed without injuring myself. 

These girls are absolutely amazing.

So nice to have a team to come to my rescue! (Although I DEARLY wish I wouldn't have to be the awkward one creating so many complications firstly in finding a spot and then so much work for a simple weekend away.)

After we re-arranged the bed situation, I was finding the bathroom quite difficult to navigate despite having the owners install a bar beside the very low toilet.  This is always a bit of a nightmare for me, as I have to call Patrice to make sure I make it off the toilet and onto my wheelchair instead of onto the floor. 

At one point Leanne looked at me and said "Well, let's just suck the marrow out of this holiday because we are NEVER doing this again!"

The long travels and awkward arrangements for a two night stay seemed a little over the top so we'll try something simpler next time.

The evening was cool so we gathered around the fire and made some plans for our second annual girls glamp-out. 

I like Leanne so very much.

She is a safe friend.

She is a realist and says it like it is.

She is also a valiant overcomer so I always know I have someone I can count on to make the best of things "in spite of..."

I also like our girls so very much.

They are in for the long haul because they can't very well dump their mothers, but they also actually like hanging out with us.

Also - mental note: I'll try to stay away from my birthday weekend as it was overwhelming to travel and settle in on what felt like a hard day.

Thank goodness there is always tomorrow and every cloud has a silver lining.

Another Birthday

Last year when we did a mother/daughter weekend with Joanna and Leanne we landed in Leavenworth which was pretty much perfect.

It can be a little dangerous to set the bar so high, but it really was an amazing time we had together and easy in so many ways.

That is not always my experience when travelling.

(I landed gently and slowly on the bathroom floor after checking into our hotel on this go round...)

Have experienced such a successful girls getaway we thought we'd try again in a year's time.

That weekend landed on my birthday and we booked a cabin on Salt Spring Island.  I was unusually tired heading towards this weekend and was also involved in a churchwide fast, so I was feeling pretty apprehensive and not really wanting to go. 

At all.

My heart and mind were somewhere else and my body was barely keeping up with looking after Mom & Dad while Elsie was away for a week. 

However, when you plan a trip with 3 others and dates are booked off etc., it's kind of hard to slam on the breaks.  But I probably should have.  It's wisdom to listen to one's heart and body, but sometimes the fear of letting others down pushes us in the wrong direction.

Anyways... I decided to push through.

So Leanne & I loaded up the car and set off through the mountains, enjoying our uninterrupted together time and the exquisite scenery. Such a perfect day with blue skies and clear roads.

We landed at Brooksdale to pick up Patrice and Leanne got a tour of the gorgeous and peaceful property. 

Such a beautiful place to visit and such a wonderful place for Patrice to call "home".

I'm forever thankful to God for His guiding hand.

Also grateful for Leanne's easygoing friendship and good sense of humour over the many years.

We've really needed to see the bright and funny side of life as we have both experienced some very real and hard times.

Since it was the day before my actual birthday, Daniel made the effort to join us for supper despite an unusually heavy university schedule and we had a wonderful time eating some very delicious food and just being together.

Just being together... those words take on more meaning as life unfolds and you realize the importance and value of relationships.

Nicole was camping with a friend after finishing her finals so she couldn't join us.

It was an amazing gift to be with both of my kids.

How did this even happen to me?

The treasure of grown adults being kids and friends and stellar human beings.

Lots of prayer has happened in these years

 Always gratitude and glory to the Father who gives good gifts to His beloved children.