A June Summer Vacation

This June we went on a mini-vacation.

Actually it was a 11 day trip with 6 flights which is not really mini when travelling with a baby.

Baby J did not like waiting on the tarmack for the plane to hurry up and get on the runway to take-off. This waiting was extra long as those with small children board first. We then had to wait until everyone boarded and squashed their carry-ons into the overhead bins. In the meantime baby J shrieked and those boarding gritted their teeth anticipating a long flight with a baby on board. In every flight baby J and I were in a window seat. I am not sure where the logic in this was especially when the flight attendant would review flight information for flying with a baby with me each flight and then share in which washroom the change table was located. It is a lucky thing that the flights were short and we did not have to make use of the change tables...I could not imagine clamering over the other passangers, locating my diaper bag in the overhead compartment all the while holding baby J, navigating the aisles, dodging the snack cart and flight attendants to access the washroom to change baby J.  In my estimation it would be smart to have all the regular folk board first and end with those flying with small children, to lump us in one section, or to have us located nearest the change-table washroom, with easy aisle and overhead bin access. 

Thankfully baby J once we were in the air was a dream and slept almost the entire flight.

We went to visit my parents at their farm in northern Alberta. 

We also had a quick visit with family in a nearby city. An additional reason for our flight were having baby J have a photo shoot with my friend who is a talented photographer.

We celebrated Father's Day with my dad. 

It was L's first Father's Day too! He is a great dad.

A highlight for me is always walks around the lake and to the park. 

I was so delighted that we were able to fit in photos with my talented friend! We wondered if the weather would cooperate as the forecast called for rain. It was a real challenge to capture these photos as baby J was not impressed with having her photos but my friend Leslie S. is a pro. And that camera she wields! Wow!

My mom is such a card. I love her!

I think baby J recognized my mom since we speak on the phone so regularly on speaker phone. My mom could make baby J laugh and laugh and laugh. It was so fun to hear baby J belly laughing. 

We were blessed to visit with friends, and family and my parents church even hosted a baby shower for baby  J. Wow! We were thankful for the gifts but especially knowing that so many of these women have prayed for baby J. 

Too soon our vacation with my parents came to a close. We are excited for them to come visit in July. 

L flew home to work and baby J and I continued on the second leg of our journey. I'm not sure when I thought it would be a great idea to fly solo with a baby.  

We flew west to the Okanagan to see my grandma! 

It was great to visit with aunts, cousins, and uncles. My aunt taught me how to make kefir and almost persuaded me to start making kombucha. Im not sure I am ready for that level of commitment yet.

We enjoyed delicious, fresh fruit, a concert in the park, and walks along the warf. 

The Okanagan is one of my favorite places to be! It is so beautiful. 

June flew by! I love summer, being outdoors, the flowers, fresh fruit, barbecues. Summer is reason to visit friends, and family. 

Have you started your summer vacation yet? Id love to hear about your summer vacation plans. 

Summer Vacation

L and I went on a lovely getaway this summer.  It was also L's birthday and what better way to spend a birthday then on vacation in as beautiful of setting as this was.

The drive was so scenic to Glacier National Park, Montana.

Oh! There is a forest fire! We stayed at the St. Mary's Lodge which was near the fire, but luckily there was little danger and the smoke was not really that bad.

I had really wanted to take the Red Bus tour up to Logan's Pass, and the Continental Divide. This is the second time we have planned this adventure and were unable to travel up the Going to the Sun Highway. We were able to still take an alternate Red Bus tour.

We saw the glaciers from a distance.  

Then we drove to Yellowstone National Park. There is a lot to explore in the park. 

Old Faithful. I think I expected it to be much higher and louder but it was still fantastic.

Happy Birthday handsome!

Such amazing geological phenomena. 

And a little stinky too. 

We returned back through Glacier National Park and stayed at Izzak Walton Inn. 

We spent the night in a caboose! And had the most amazing dinner that I will share in another post. 

Oh what fun to go on a summer getaway! I highly recommend visiting a national park. 

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

About three weeks ago we decided we needed a vacation. Silly me I forgot to renew my passport and it is about to expire in July which meant many of the destinations we were hankering for were no longer options. Oh Thailand... Sigh. The foodie in me really wanted to go to San Francisco but because we had a window of two weeks to travel L wanted to maximize the value. L is not sold on San Fran... how to convince him it would be fun? My passport would allow me to fly to USA, Cuba or Mexico. In the end we were both longing for beaches, sand and sun. L was keen on an all inclusive. So in a last minute internet search on selloffvacations.com we chose Santa Maria, Cuba.

I took my old fujifilm camera on vacation and remembered why I do not like this camera. It died half way through the vacation only to revive a few days before we left.

The Good:

• Beautiful beaches and lounging by the pool for two weeks straight 
• Being on vacation with my hunny 
• Our room was nice and had air conditioning for the 30 + degree Celsius temperatures daily.
• I faced my fear of snorkeling and it was fun snorkeling along the coral reef. 
• I got up close and personal with a dolphin. So amazing. 
• We had some fun adventures.
• L is over all inclusives and buffets which is a small miracle for this foodie. I really do not enjoy buffets. I'd rather eat a sprig of lettuce if it was presented as art on my plate. And tasted for a moment of heaven. 
• This was a rare vacation where I actually lost weight. 

The Bad:

• I have safe toilet syndrome. This was not a happy digestive experience. I tried extra water. Tums. Walking. My system shut down. The bathrooms rarely had functioning lights. There was a lack of toilet seats. No locks on doors. Smells like sewer gas. Women you had to pay after exiting the toilet. TP that was thinner than tissue paper.  I saw a few too many cock roaches. 
• There were way too many flies in the buffet and restaurants.  (I haven't had nausea but perhaps food aversions is similar and counts as a pregnancy symptom? Or was it just mental? I couldn't bring myself to eat most of what was sitting out in the buffet since how long with flies crawling all over it.) I was really worried about not having nutritious food for my baby but on the few occasions when I tried salads they were fermented. It was gross. At first I really liked the donuts until L discovered a worm in his and called it an animal. I almost broke a tooth biting into a rock in my bread at the alacarte. I'd recommend packing granola, trail mix, and protein bars to anyone thinking oh the food can't be so bad she's really a drama queen. You'll thank me later. 

• L got very sick on two different experiences where he couldn't even keep water down.
• We suspected they were fogging for Mosquitos and usually returned to our room before mosquito feeding time. Then one evening or say 6:30 pm much before the general feeding time we were walking along the path to our room, which has large bramble bushes on both sides, and a truck came rolling down the path and fogged us. Umm seriously?! Hoping this has no negative lasting effects. 
• I got stung by a jelly fish on my leg. Ouch. L was a gentleman and helped me out. Note that is not Cristal in the can.

The Ugly:

• I started to spot and bleed after a long day on the Catamaran. It was very scary.  We thought we were having a miscarriage and I bled off and on for several days.  I put myself on self imposed bed rest. I cried out to God and prayed. 
• On my flight home from Cuba my leg started to hurt. It was a very turbulent flight and late. There was little opportunity to wander the aisles. I keep trying to move my legs up and down in my seat because they were hurting. My leg continued to hurt the following day and I was not sure if it was from the jelly fish or something worse. Dr. Google suggested I might have a blood clot based on the symptoms I was exhibiting along with the contributing factors. Red area, swollen, warm to the touch, tingly toes, sore, hard area. I could barely walk folks especially when waking up to go to the washroom at 3 am. Being pregnant, flying, sitting for too long, inactivity, and taking fertility medication, plus I might be prone to clotting based on my family history were also contributing factors. So I asked L if I should go in after the weekend to my doctor and he thought I should go into Emergency immediately. So in we went and waited almost four hours. The doctor was very nice but could not make any diagnosis since the ultrasound technician was not in until the morning so we would have to come back on Sunday at 10 am. Home we went. Back in to wait longer and finally discover I have superficial clotting on my left leg. Luckily the ultrasound technician did not think I was exhibiting deep vein thrombosis but there was a risk it could develop. The doctor said I was complicated and that I had just become a high risk pregnancy. He had to consult with an OBGYN. We were prescribed lovenox, a blood thinner and I have to report back in ten days for a follow up ultrasound. It makes me nervous because I don't want to harm the baby. So far since we have been home I have not had any spotting. I was worried I would start bleeding again with this blood thinner. I'm also nervous about the baby not having a placenta yet. Lovenox does not pass through the placenta but what about prior to the placenta? I am about eight weeks pregnant. There are some internet reports in favor of lovenox during pregnancy and others that are not so favorable. Lovenox is not a fun drug my friends. I have to inject myself once a day. First off it hurts going in. Then it stings, burns, and generally aches following. It's like a wasp sting. Finally it leaves a horrific bruise at the site of injection. I have to get my blood tested now for clotting disorders. And to think I might have to take lovenox for the rest of this pregnancy and maybe a blood thinner thereafter. Oh Jesus I pray that my baby will be healthy. 

& The Excellent

• God pressed on my heart during the times I was spotting in Cuba the verse, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your understanding in all your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct your path." I said this verse over and over and over as I lay in bed, or on my lounge chair near the pool willing my body to stop bleeding. This has not been an easy two weeks but I am trying to trust. I am hoping and praying for a healthy baby. Despite taking a blood thinner since we have been home I have not had any spotting. That is a miracle. Thank you Jesus.

This afternoon is my first ultrasound. I am excited, nervous, terrified, hopeful. I hope beyond everything I have ever hoped for that I will hear a healthy heartbeat. 

Christmas Vacation Recap

We had a fabulous Christmas Vacation visiting family on the coast. 

On Monday, Dec 22 I spent a long morning organizing my files at work. Then I was off, leaving the snow behind, to Vancouver with a connecting Air Canada flight through Calgary. 

I arrived around 8:30 pm. My brother B picked me up at the Vancouver airport. We enjoyed a glass of Beaujolais Supérieur wine, tasty Hungarian sausage and cheese and chatted while we waited for L. L arrived on West Jet two hours later and took the sky train to B & sister in law Js apartment on East Broadway. 

B & J generously slept on their pullout sofa and offered us their bed since L is so tall. The next morning I awoke before they left for work. B makes the best coffee. J is one stylish cat even on a casual day at the law office. B rides his bicycle twenty minutes to the law office. So with those two cats at work we attempted to make oatmeal with blueberries but it became blueberry oatmeal instead before venturing out. 

It was raining and so we borrowed Js polka dot umbrella. We took the sky train and jumped off intent on finding B's recommended donut shop.  L ordered a delicious apple fritter. I don't really know what I was thinking. I ordered a smoked walnut Carmel donut. I think I thought smoked like brûlée but instead it was smoked as in smoke. Gag! It was pretty to look at though and I enjoyed L's.

After we ventured out in the rain to window shop and to find the Vancouver Art Gallery. I couldn't convince L to take it in when he saw the $20 ticket price. So instead we decided to take the train as far as we could to Granville Island. We were quite wet by the time we reached the market (walking for miles) and wandered around the shops.

We took the seabus back to catch the train to B's apartment but not before enjoying some tasty Chinese food.  Mmm! We forgot which was the right apartment number upon our return, L sneakily tried the key in several doors while I tried to reach B at his office by phone. Success! 

Later that evening my brother R arrived to pick us up to take us to his place  for Christmas Eve. My parents had just arrived that afternoon at R's place. Before leaving we enjoyed pizza at Pizzeria Barbarella My favorite was the Hawaiian Punch with tomato, bocconcini, aged mozzarella, hot capocolla, house-smoked fresh pineapple, brown sugar glaze, grana padano. We also ordered Funghi, Cavolini, and Balboa. 

Wednesday, December 24, we enjoyed the day with my parents and nephew M. M was home from school. We played games, flew remote control helicopters, and went for a long hike. Later my brother R and his wife K came home from work and we had leftover Chinese that R whipped up.

Thursday, Christmas Day after getting up late we were off to the city to B's apartment for Christmas Dinner and gift exchange. B & J had ordered from the butcher the most ginormous organic turkey of 22 pounds. They made quite the spread: appetizers of various cheeses, sausage and crackers, and a special cocktail. Then the Christmas dinner that was amazing: turkey, chipotle sweet potatoes, sausage cornbread stuffing, rolls, candied carrots, mashed potatoes, gravy, spinach salad with walnuts and pomegranate seeds, peas with bacon. R brought along his famous orange cheese jello salad --a family tradition. They had to rent chairs and buy a table that extended to seat everyone in their shoebox apartment. 

After dinner we had a gift exchange picking a number and trading. Fun! Nephew M scored with all his trades and took home the most gifts as we also each buy a gift for him. We bought him an airplane book where he builds models of 50 various airplanes and art supplies. He loved the gift and each day after while we were there built a few. Each model takes approximately 1 hour to build. 

We ended the evening with the most amazing pumpkin cheesecake that J had made. Yum! 

Friday we were back at R's for Boxing Day. I went shopping with K in the morning. In the afternoon B & J came out and we went zipplining. R has built two different zipplines in the trees at the back of his property. Fun! For dinner we enjoyed lasagna and then spent the evening putting together puzzles.

Saturday we were back into the city to visit a museum. We decided on the Museum of Vancouver. We took in a fashion exhibit of women's wear from the 40s-50s, a display of historical neon signs in Vancouver and also their permanent exhibits.

Then to B & Js apartment for turkey pot pie and an assortment of leftovers, and games. 

Sunday we enjoyed a hike, making turkey tacos, puzzles, and games.

Monday after breakfast we were off to catch our flights back home. We checked in for departing flights at 1 pm. I finally arrived home at 9 pm. L arrived home around midnight. 

And so our Christmas vacation has come to a close. It was wonderful to spend it with those we love. 

Cuba!!

Dazzling white-sand beaches and clear, warm, turquoise water.

The perfect beach getaway!

 Soaking up the sun under the beach cabanna, taking dips in the ocean when I thought it was safe to not burn; I am happy to report we ended our vacation without a sunburn.  I was amazed at all the people flirting with skin cancer and turning a blotchy shade of painful red as they slow basted in the sun.

It was plum hot in Cuba. I think I may have slightly dehydrated especially on top the double decker bus. I am still trying to regain my electrolytes I think weeks later.

We stayed at the resort Melia Las Americas. It was rated 5 stars but as you may know ratings in Cuba are in a league of their own. Even so we were pleasantly delighted with the quality of the resort. And the food was really fantastic!


We went on a tour to Havanna with a local guide Alex, a university professor who gave tours on the side.  We had a delightful day travelling with Alex and learning the ins and outs of his life including where he went to elementary school and Cuban life in general.  We peppered him with questions.   We squished into the back of a Fiatt. At first it was raining so hard in the morning at the resort that we wondered what the day would be. We started out riding the slick roads and wondering if the windshield wipers could keep up. And then blue skies! And then the sweltering heat while we walked an extensive networlk of stone fortifications and narrow streets of old Havanna. We marvelled at the Baroque and neo-classical monuments and impressive architecture. Alex took us out to lunch at an expensive hostel for tourists. We were surprised at the cost but Alex assured us it was so that we would not catch Cholera. At this rate we did not have the mohito advocated by Hemingway despite the long line of tourists clamering to have a drink in the icy airconditioned Hemingwayesque haunt.

I love the classic cars in Cuba. I was warned by Alex to not take too many photos of these gems or the owners would be asking to paid for these photo opps.

I was delighted to observe Quinceañera (lit. meaning One (f.) who is fifteen), sometimes called fiesta de quince años, fiesta de quinceañera, quince años or simply quince, the celebration of a girl's fifteenth birthday in parts of Latin America.  This birthday is celebrated differently from any other birthday, as it marks the transition from childhood to becoming a young woman.

 Cuba was a great summer end getaway!

Montreal Favorites

This past May I realized my dream of going to Montreal. It was just as I imagined.  My favorite places were Mount Royal Park and Olive & Gourmando.


Mont Royal Park was quintessentially perfect and how I think everyone should spend a Sunday. Picnicking, hiking, spending time with family, listening to musicians, in nature. It was delightful.  I think my delight was magnified by how many people were at the park doing all these things. It is a little sad to visit a park and to be the only one there.  Here there was laughter, excited conversations, birds singing, music, the smell of barbecue in the air.  I wished I had brought more sensible shoes. I love to walk and here it was normal.

Olive & Gourmando, in Old Montreal, has the most delicious croissants imaginable paired with a latte. Mmmm I was in heaven sipping my latte and people watching. The French have style.

 


I ate out in style in the evenings, delighting in flavors.

I shopped and spent too much money. I bought the most precious French ballet rag dolls that you have ever seen.

I bicycled along the canal and had an ice cream cone at the Atwater Market.  Everywhere in Montreal I saw people bicycling, walking, running, it is no wonder that they are so thin. I rode the subway to the Biodome and missed most of the creatures for all of the school groups chattering, but the ones I saw I was thrilled by. I went to the Canadian Centre for Architecture and Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. I missed seeing Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal and for that I will just have to go back I have decided.

I was there for a conference but I am glad I took a few days of vacation to explore the city.