Well well weeeeeeelll. If it isn’t another update post!
June and July were so amazing. I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to share it all with you.
Moving to Vancouver late February marked my first move away from home. Still a big deal at 30, right? I’m really close with my family (seriously, my mom and my sisters are my best friends), so being away from them is tough.
But in June, I was lucky enough to have my twin sister and her boyfriend (also my bff) visit, as well as my mom the following week. I want to share some pictures with you guys, and let you know what we got up to!
Lauren and Thomas are amazing, supportive, ridiculously wonderful people. Unlike myself, they are also excellent planners, thank god – because they arrived with a list of things they wanted to check out and do.
And I certainly wasn’t opposed to the sight-seeing! Even after a few months of being here, there is still so much I had to do and see.
One of those things was Lynn Canyon. Lynn Canyon is a big public park, great for walks and hikes. Some people go for the natural swimming pools, and others come to check out the suspension bridge. We just went for the fresh air and the scenery – it really was beautiful!
We visited Granville Island, and I’ve been there many times before, but it never gets old. If you love food and wandering, like I do, it’s always a good time.
We took a sea taxi across the bay, which was super handy and also kinda fun. It also saved my legs, since they were about to be put to work! Once we got across the water, we rented bicycles to ride along the seawall in Stanley Park, which is something I’ve wanted to cross off my list since coming here.
It sounds pretty busy, but we did make some time to just relax and kick it. One of the nights we stayed in an airbnb , cooked bomb Chickpea Burgers and watched a movie.
I’m pretty easy going when it comes to travelling, or having travellers visit me. In my experience I’ve found that you can plan things as much as you’d like, but the best moments always happen unplanned. What I’m going to tell you about next is my favourite moment of the trip. It’s small and it’s silly, but it made my heart warm. It also comes with an embarrassing photo – because this story isn’t the same without it!
As you can tell from this photo, I’m absolutely passed out. Hah! I thought I looked cuter when I slept – apparently not.
This is a good memory for me. I’m laying on the beach during a BEACH DAY with my two best friends. I’ve got my snacks and I was feelin’ pretty good. Lauren started reading a book to us, and I guess the last couple of busy days caught up to me! Soon after I put my head down, I fell asleep. FAST, DEEP, asleep. Enough that they got the chance to snap a few pics.
This is a level of relaxation I aspire to daily. Just three besties, kickin on the beach with their snacks, taking impromptu naps. On the outside, it might not seem special. But to me, moments like these are everything.
Saying goodbye to them was really difficult, especially not knowing when I would see them again. But I had my mom’s visit to look forward to, and I couldn’t wait to see her face.
What I love about hanging out with my mom is that we both have a very easy-going, let’s see what happens kinda-vibe. We’re both good with whatever as long as there is promise of good food and good company. And we had each other – so the company part was already down pat.
We visited the houseboats on Granville, spent time at the beach, enjoyed a meal ocean-side, and even went to a spooky-themed restaurant. I soaked up every minute. But in running with the theme of the small things mattering, my favourite moment was dipping in the pool with her one afternoon and fooling around like a couple of teenagers. We were laughing and joking, swimming and relaxing. Again on the surface – nothing that seems extraordinary. But it was extraordinary for me.
I feel so lucky to have had these amazing people come out and spend time with me. It makes being away a little less tough. There’s still 2 more people missing – my other sister and my niece – who I would love to get out here at some point! But if I need to, I’ll settle for going to them – and SOON! I’m missing them badly (I’m comin for you Steph!) .
And with that, I swung into July full-force work mode. July saw me jumping into taking life a little more serious. I had the full freedom of eating and doing whatever I wanted while my family was here, but to some extend I do enjoy routine and discipline.
July was all about me following the Strong Babe Summer Guide, concentrating on my health and fitness. I’ve been reaping the benefits (!!!), but I’ll save those details for August – when I can tell you so much more.
For now, I’ll leave you with a few photos from July of our various adventures – including Whistler, Squamish, and Vancouver Island. I’m so glad we made the time to travel and see the sights this summer – so many memories were made and new places seen. It breathes life into me to adventure somewhere new.
Thanks for stopping by my corner of the internet to catch up with me today! I hope you enjoyed the bit of my summer I’ve shared thus far. I won’t procrastinate on August, so that will be up for you shortly!
In the meantime of course, feel free to sit down, relax, and hang out here a while. There’s tons of other good stuff to read.
Until Next Time!
Standing Strong Wellness 