Granny's Birthday

This year for my mom's birthday, her and I spent the day together while Grandpa watched the boys.  Upon our arrival home the boys had a huge surprise waiting my Mom.  While we were enjoying a girls day out, the boys had been busy in the workshop.  Both of the boys made my Mom the cutest birdhouses for her birthday.  They were so proud of their work.  But seeing Grandma's reaction was the best.  I think she even shed a tear or two!

First Day of School...

It had been a busy summer.  We physically moved from one side of the globe to the other.  We reconnected with lots of family and friends and we also enjoyed a few lazy days of summer.  Finally, a Mom's favorite day of the year arrived.... Back to school.  Evan was thrilled to finally be of age and also proximity to the school where he could ride himself without Mom bringing him to school.  I must say, this is the first time in many years that I didn't walk my kids to their first day of school.  I actually missed it, but only momentarily!  Kieran on the other hand had his best friends to walk him to his first day to high school.  Both boys enjoyed their first day back to Canadian school.  I'm sure the novelty will soon wear off!

Last Days of Summer

Now that we had a new puppy in our family it gave us a good excuse to go exploring.  We headed to a beach about 15 minutes from our house to show Jesse the ocean.  It was an amazing day where the suns rays warm you inside and out.  Sometimes I am still in awe of the beauty that surrounds us.  We walked the trail to the beach and loved seeing the world through our puppy's eyes.  Everything was new and exciting to him.  Wouldn't it be amazing to take life in like a dog?  They are excited where ever they are going.  They stop and smell every new scent.  And they play until they can't keep their eyes open. We were in the car only a few rotations of the tires when he was asleep in our arms.

Friends From Afar

Time to open the creaky door of my blog.  Only on a blog is it possible to go back in time.  And this is one day I'm happy to relive. 

My dear friend Elaine and her 2 boys came to the island for few days near the end of summer to visit family and lucky for me...friends.  No matter how long the span between our visits, we always pick up where we left off.  Today was no different.  When I found out she was coming my first thoughts were to plan something big and exciting.  But sometimes simplicity outshines splendor.  Elaine lives in the Interior, far from the ocean.  Knowing her love of the sea, we started out with a simple afternoon picnic.  All of our boys looked for the treasures of the sea while we caught up on life.  When Elaine and I met we were school girls whose lives crossed paths when our lockers were next to each other.  Now when we look at our lives, they look very different from when we shuffled our books from one class to the next.  I love that our friendship is the same whether we are walking the halls of highschool or digging for crabs on the beach. 

Our boys enjoyed getting to know each other.  After lunch all the boys boarded their scooters for a tour of Chemainus.  One of the highlights in Chemainus is the candy store.  It not only stocks anything sweet, but resembles and old fashioned candy store.  After we filled them with sweets we finished the tour of our little town and made our way back home.  It really was a perfect day to spend with one of my dear friends. 

Meet Jesse....

Meet Jesse....The new addition to our family!  While we were living away in Brunei the boys begged and begged for a dog.  Obviously, with the transient lifestlye we were living it was never really a reality.  So now that we are back home we thought the timing was right. 

Jesse is a Havanese/Yorkshire Terrier, or so we were told.  He was also suppose to weigh only about 15lbs.  After meeting with the vet, she informed us that already he was on his way to becoming a dog weighing between 30 or 40 lbs.  But we love him anyway!!  He has been a great dog already.  My definition of a great dog is the lack of peeing in my house... and he has fits the bill! 

He plays hard and then sleeps non-stop.  Like any new toy my boys have loved getting to know him and have wore him out more than once. 

 

 

Ohh The Good Ole Hockey Game...

For the past 4 years, Kieran has looked forward to one week of the summer where he eats and breathes hockey.  He attends an amazing Hockey camp that is held at a local church.  3 hours of each day he is on the ice.  The rest of the daily activities continue with the theme of hockey.  Not only is he surrounded with the sport he loves, but the young leaders in charge speak volumes into his life.  So after 5 nights away from home all the parents gathered at the rink to watch their final game.  I'm not a huge sports fan, but I really have missed watching my boys on the ice.  Kieran scored one goal.  While the game was mostly for fun, the score was down to the wire in the final period.  Our boys are registered for hockey this fall.  They start in just a few weeks.  So this will be where I will be spending most of the coming months...with a warm cup of coffee in hand!

Bike, Play, Love...

A couple of years ago, I fell in love with the movie Eat, Pray, Love.  I loved the role Julia Roberts played, the freedom to find out who she really was.  I also loved the bike she rode in Bali and thought... I need one of those to explore the rural streets in Brunei.  But like most movies, it is just Hollywood.  While I didn't find the opportunity to explore Brunei on my bike, I am now exploring my hometown on 2 sets of wheels.  It has brought me right back to my childhood when you would ride until the streetlights came on. 

So this morning as Evan and I woke up, we decided to head out on a ride.  We whipped off our pajamas, threw on some clothes, and boarded our bikes ready to see the start of a beautiful morning.  We rode to an area a few minutes from our house.  While on our way down to the beach we stopped to eat some of the delicious blackberries that are growing wild at this time of the year.   

The beach was amazing this early in the morning.  We were able to sit by ourselves while listening to the seagulls calling to each other.  One of the things I love about the beach on this side of the world is the smell.  How I wish I could portray it in a photo.  There really is nothing that smells fresher than the ocean. 

While on our way home we came upon a family of deer.  I remember telling my Brunei friends that as often as you see monkeys in the garden that is how often you see deer here in Canada,  this photo is for you.  So this bike ride is proof that there are amazing things to see in your own backyard.  It has shown me that you just need to change your perspective and look closer to what you already have. You don't need to board a plane, plan a trip, or secretly wish you were somewhere else.  Just stop, look around and see the beauty that is near.  It is always here... you just need to look for it!
 

Our Container Arrives...

For the first few weeks in Canada we have been "camping" in our house.  Well maybe "camping in comfort" is the better term.  We lived in our house with mattresses on the floor and just the bare essentials to get by.  I must say living minimally is quite freeing and just what you need to enjoy the lazy days of summer. 
Finally after about 7 weeks after our departure from Brunei, our "things" arrived.  We crowded the back of the container in eager expectation of the unpacking.  Everything arrived without a scratch.  My mind traveled back to Brunei when I was surrounded by boxes anticipating the move back to Canada.  This time the boxes represented the huge task I had to unpack and find a place for all of these things.  Somehow I found myself wishing I could go back to the lazy days of summer with my mattress on the floor!

Sharpen those Skates!

While living in Brunei we loved so many things of our new life and surroundings.  But one thing was always missing for the boys... Hockey.  My boys have been on skates almost as long as they have been walking.  They started playing hockey at around 5 years old.  Hockey is huge in Canada and huge to my boys.  So this September they will once again be on a team playing the game that they love.  So one of the first things we purchased upon arriving home was a new pair of skates for them.  One evening we went to the local rink for them to break in their new skates.  I can't even say they were a little rusty after being off the ice for so long.  They did amazing and watching their smiles was the best part!

Family Time

Rob was home for just under a month, and the time flew by.  With all the busyness of the move we found ourselves in the final days of having him at home.  So we decided a family day was in order.  We drove to Victoria, a little over an hour away to play tourist in the town we once lived.  When the boys were young we loved to walk along the inner harbor to take in the street entertainment.  So this was our first stop, and we had decided to follow it up with a picnic in the park while feeding the ducks. There was much to look at.  There were magic shows, music and artists displaying their talents.  The previous day we had enjoyed temperatures over 30 degrees.  So we headed to Victoria with this in mind bracing ourselves for the warmth.  But that day did not mirror the previous day.  In fact, we were freezing.  The weather dropped to about 18 degrees and was quite windy next to the water.  As chilly as we felt, we still enjoyed the stroll along the picturesque inner harbor of Victoria.  We finished off the day with lunch indoors and strolled the mall instead.