Friday, October 17, 2014

Our Summer Story

We are well into Fall - most notably marked by the fact my husband just left this morning for his annual moose hunting trip.

Fall really is my favorite time of year.  I love everything about it - colored leaves, apples, cool days, warm sweaters.  But in reality, I can't believe Fall is here.  Summer went by so fast.  So fast that much of the bucket list will be carried over into Fall and/or Winter or even next Summer!  Here's an update:

1. Catch up on movies: The Butler, Saving Mr. Banks and Frozen are all on the PVR Playlist.  - This one I did achieve! I rarely watch movies and I couldn't believe how hard it was to wind down and unplug, just relax and watch the movie.  These movies were worth the wait. Loved them all.  

2. Finish my deck makeover and eat meals outside.  - This is the reason a lot of other things didn't get done on the bucket list.  My deck make over took soooo long.  The weather made it almost impossible to get done but I'm really happy with the results.  And we had many meals outside.


3. Take the kids for a bike ride on the paved trails along our Waterfront.  - Emma got to do this with her Auntie which was actually better because I don't ride a bike! 


4. Fly a kite.  That one was easy!


5.  Catch up on a back log of books I want to read.  Goal: Read at least two by end of August.  - Didn't do so good at this one.  I read Bridget Jones Mad About the Boy and that was laugh out loud funny!  I just finished reading The End of Your Life Book Club - I've actually been reading that since we went camping in August! 

6. Go to our local water park. (This is actually one of the things Emma has specifically requested this Summer).  - We spent two great days there and the kids really enjoyed it.


7. Go camping.  - Probably the highlight of the summer.  Emma has already been asking to go next year.  I loved being away from home and just being with my kids. 


8. Have bonfires and eat s'mores...lots of s'mores.  In fact, try new s'more recipes.  - Didn't have as many campfires as we wanted to. Weather wasn't really conducive to bonfires this Summer.  

9. Check out a local beach we haven't been to before. - Did plenty of this.  Probably one of the best days of the Summer for me.  Emma, Dustin and I went to a beach on a Sunday afternoon and had so much fun floating in the waves.  Was a last minute day trip and those are often the best.  Also had a wonderful trip into a nearby Provincial Park with a great group of friends.  The kids had so much fun.  My favorite memories as a child are the many day trips our parents would take us on to a local lake or nearby beach.  I spent many hours in the water as a child and hope my kids can do the same.


10. Hike a local trail.  - Can I carry that over to a Fall bucket list? 

11.  Pick berries of all kinds and make jam.  - We did get strawberry picking but that was it.  We also benefited from my mother-in-law's bumper crop of raspeberries - the kids enjoyed bowl fulls of those. And I mean bowl fulls.  And we benefited from the raspberry jam and jelly she made.


12.  Get my kayak in the water.  - Yes!!!!! This finally happened.  A couple times.

13.  Visit local watering holes such as the Shanty House and Brew Pub by the boys at Whitewater Brewing (I suppose that is not a very kid friendly activity).  - Maybe this Winter?

14.  Go geo-caching.  - Another great day.  Even Dean enjoyed this activity with us!  Our fearless leader and good friend SD showed the kids how to read the GPS and find the caches.  You have no idea how much fun this was for Emma.  Our whole house is a geo-cache - tiny little treasures she's collected and hidden away.  She loves tiny things.


15.  Plan a mother-daughter getaway, just locally, but spend some one-on-one time with Emma. - This was the one I was most disappointed didn't happen.  There just never seemed to be a weekend to get away.  Again, maybe another activity that I can carry over into the Winter.  The kids and I did have a great weekend away at a cottage visiting with friends.  One thing I learned this Summer is how hard it is for me to relax and just play or spend time with my kids when I'm home.  I'm too focused on the next meal, the next load of laundry or the floors that need to be mopped.  That's why I love planning little getaways for us.

So that was the story of our Summer.  And as with any well laid out plan with good intentions it's easier to focus on the things we didn't do than it is to just enjoy everything we did accomplish.  I think we had a pretty good Summer. I can't wait to see what the rest of Fall brings and what story we can write.

~ Elizabeth