A Mini Getaway: Vancouver, BC

On Friday evening, I surprised Jim with a trip to Vancouver for the weekend to visit my sister, Vanessa, her boyfriend, Grant, and our old dog, Saigon. We have been talking about taking a big road trip in the summer to visit all of our friends and family in BC, but I really just wanted a weekend to see my sister without any other obligations. I booked the trip a few weeks ago, told Jim he needed to take Monday off because of something I had planned for him that was only available to do on a Monday, and arranged for my mom to come for a visit so she could babysit (thanks, Mom!!).

We left bright and early on Saturday morning and flew on one of those tiny planes that you board from the tarmac. Luckily, the flight from Calgary to Vancouver is only 80 minutes, so we were there in no time! And flying without a toddler...heaven! I also managed to pack only a carry-on for the weekend (unheard of for me!) and let me tell you...I vow to do this in the future whenever possible. So much time saved for both arriving at the airport and leaving.

Reading on an airplane...my favourite time to read!

The main purpose of our trip, other than hanging out with my sister, was to get in some good quality snuggles and time with Saigon. For those of you who are newer to the blog, you probably don't remember Saigon, but he was our dog for 3 years until shortly after Sully was born (I used to write a weekly series called Saigon Sundays). Before that, he was my brother's dog. Now, he's living a fantastic life with Vanessa, full of long walks by the beach, naps on a king sized bed, and more back rubs than he could ask for. We miss him dearly, but are just so glad that he's living a happy life in a good home.

We arrived at my sister's place in North Van around lunch time, and after saying our hello's to Saigon, we grabbed lunch and drinks at Browns Social House. Afterwards, we took Saigon on a big walk down to the waterfront before heading out to a local pub for the evening. Of course, it was cold and rainy on Saturday and Sunday, but you don't go to Vancouver for the weather in January!

This was the first time Jim and I have been able to go out together and not have to wake up at the crack of down with a hungry toddler. We had a blast drinking and catching up with Vanessa and Grant, before crawling into bed shortly after midnight. (If you follow me on snapchat, then I'm a tad embarrassed to say you got a good look at the fun we were having!)

Sunday we had a slow morning before heading out for some greasy food to cure our hangovers and then just hung out with Saigon. We went to a movie in the evening (The Big Short), and then grabbed some Pho and sushi.

Monday, the sun finally came out (of course it did - it was our last day there!), so we walked to an 80s diner for brunch and coffee and then I popped into the Public Library next door to get a library card to add to my collection (new life goals - dream big, friends, dream big!). We headed back to the apartment to grab Saigon and then spent our last hour in town walking around with him.

It was a bit of a whirlwind of a weekend and passed far too quickly for my liking, but I'll take any amount of time with my sister over no time with her. Why can't everyone I love live in the same city?!

I know it's almost the middle of the week now, but I hope you all had a good weekend!

A Mini Getaway

It had been almost two months since I last saw my mom, so last week, I packed us up, and Sully and I hit the road to Edmonton. I had been feeling a bit lonely since my in-laws left after a month long stay and a dose of mom and Gramma time was just what Sully and I needed!

{Edmonton River Valley}

We arrived last Tuesday and ended up staying until Friday. My mom lives in a spacious one-bedroom apartment and Sully had a blast running around, exploring new cupboards, pushing the elevator buttons, taking the garbage to the garbage shoot and yelling at passersby from the balcony. I was a little bit worried that sleep would be an issue since the last time Sully had to sleep in the play pen, he didn't do so well, but this time he slept like a champ! He did wake up early, but he would easily go back to sleep with me in bed for another hour or two.

Our first night in Edmonton, I left Sully with my mom while I went to my Edmonton book club night. July book club is always held at Sarah's house and she treats us to a campfire and s'mores. Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate so book club was kept indoors, but it was still a wonderful night. I was worried about my will-power to stick to my 21 Day Fix diet when it came to the food, but Sarah out did herself and had prepped all the ingredients for us to make our own salad rolls! I had never made salad rolls before, but it was so much fun and I definitely plan to make them at home now.

 

I didn't make plans to see anyone else while I was in Edmonton because I wanted to spend as much time as I could with my mom, but I did get away for a few hours to visit with my friend Lisa and meet her new daughter, Jade. Of course, I was too busy cuddling baby Jade to take any photos, but trust me, she is adorable and the whole time I was holding her, I couldn't believe that Sully was also once that small!

The rest of our visit was spent going for walks along the Promenade along the river valley, playing in the fountain, enjoying Starbucks al fresco, going to Taste of Edmonton (where I also practiced extreme self-control!!), visiting with my brother, and watering Gramma's flowers on the balcony. Seriously, I'm pretty sure Sully drowned some of my mom's plants! I also got in all my 21 Day Fix workouts and I even got out for a run on our last morning there.

 

{My view of the River Valley on my run}

On our way home on Friday, we stopped to see my friend Karen and her kids before heading on to Red Deer where we had a little play date with Becky and her son, Liam, at Imagination Grove at Kerry Wood Nature Centre. We had the whole place to ourselves and it was so cute to watch Sully and Liam interact. I humoured Sully a few times and took him down the big slide, but for the most part, he was just as happy to wait for Liam to come down the slide, giggling every time he did.

Those few days with my mom were just what I needed and I came back home feeling refreshed and happy. It's hard not having my mom just a twenty minute drive away, but at least we're still in the same province!

Have you ever made salad rolls?
Does your mom live near or far?