living like a local: Easter weekend amazing-ness

Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Easter weekend amazing-ness

I started this blog on Sunday and here I am getting it done several days later, whoops. But better late than never, right? Things are just a little busy around here. Read on!

After a double batch of waffles this morning (three helpers!) and despite the chilly weather (-7 with wind chill - !) we decided to put on our warm clothes and head outside. After a nice round of Weldon Park we had to drag the kids away from the swings and then again from the half frozen pond (Steve and I were freezing); Jordan walked most of the way, and the older two collected the biggest sticks (branches) they could find for pond ice destruction... fun! And yesterday.... it was good times indeed at the Go Wild Grow Wild expo at Western Fair's Agriplex. This is an event to mark down on your calendars; kids 12 and under are free and adults are $5, and this includes a wide range of activities from holding snakes to rock climbing to making seed bombs (and so much more) - we had a blast! The kids were fearless with the snakes - I had to pass on holding them.

the eyes!

I've been wanting to write about last weekend ALL WEEK! I had the best time. It was definitely the most spectacular wedding I've ever been to, and just so so special to be a part of. The long and short of it is that my sister got married last Saturday, close to the Journeyman Lodge, a small backcountry ski place between Squamish and Whistler. I flew in on Thursday and after an ah-mazing lunch with a friend, I joined my family and my sister and her (now) husband's friends at Squamish's The Joinery (a great place for dinner and drinks - and breakfast the next day). Mid-morning on Friday we made our way up to the Alexander Falls Touring Centre where some of us donned cross-country skis and took to the hills for 14km. It was mostly uphill and all groomed - which is a good thing for me, since it's been oh about 25 years since I've been on cross-country skis. The weather was good and the views were absolutely beautiful; the three and a half trek actually went by fairly quickly! I'm so glad I did the ski - it was so nice to be outside and get some exercise. We met my mom and Karin up at the lodge where we got the run down on how things worked; the power is only on between 7am and 10am and between 4pm and 10pm, so if one needs to shower or flush toilets or use power, there's a timeline. Meals are included with the stay, and there are multiple communal gathering and sitting areas. The accommodations were perfect - I had my own little room with two sleeping nooks which, of course, made me think of the kids... they would have loved it! Sarah and Gabriel scouted a wedding ceremony site while the rest of us relaxed, unpacked, and got settled in.

site prep

On Saturday Karin and I tried out our cross-country skis but ended up on snowshoes to head downhill to the ceremony site to help with set-up. It wasn't until we were back at the lodge that Gabriel pointed out that they'd set up camp right next to Conflict Lake - ! Haaaa! Solitude Peak and Ring Peak were a few of the mountains surrounding the area, so it got us talking about whether it meant anything (no conclusions). The ceremony was just after lunch, and the sun came out and it was actually warm... so Sarah was able to be in her dress (without a sweater) for a good 20 minutes. She arrived on her skis in her dress looking absolutely beautiful and so so so so happy... it was just perfect. Post-ceremony, the bride and groom took some photos and then there was some champagne and toasts/speeches back at the lodge before most of us took to the wood-fired sauna (this also involved some dunking in the frigid creek). Sarah changed into my mom's wedding dress for dinner, and then there was cake, wine, and much merriment around some high-stakes pool. For the most part we were in bed by 10ish every night, and it was so lovely to have some longer sleeps. On Sunday Karin and I took the snowmobile down (I drove - SO fun!) and went for sushi and ran some errands in North Van before I took transit to Steve's cousin's place in Dunbar. (On a side note, transit in Vancouver is now super easy, and almost, dare I say, enjoyable? Or maybe it was just the Seabus that was nice.) I went for a walk with a friend before hunkering down (this is something my mom would say - don't you think mom?) with the cousins for a mutual recap of our and our families' lives, and it was so great to catch up. And then... and then and then 5:00 came pretty early on Monday morning for the long trip home BUT! My lovely family was there to meet me at the airport in London, and there's nothing like saying hi to happy kids after a few days apart. Easter was good to everyone here in Ontario too, and there was much talk of the Easter Bunny, Grandma and Gramps and Pam, and of course there was chocolate. So much love!