Mommy & I went to a cottage all weekend and there were kids there my age to play with!

He said

I swear this week was the most do-nothing week we have had in a long while. Most of it was focused around getting back to regular, non-camping life and the rest of it was about getting back into the swing of our normal routine. There wasn’t any repair work really that needed to be done to Wolfie, and there wasn’t any planning or packing to think about either. It was pretty much work and the regular weekly things to do…

We are a couple of weeks out from our next trip and with the safety lighting issue resolved, we’re now into the not-necessarily necessary work and into the fun upgrades we want to do. The reality is, without a money tree on our property, we need to be responsible and planned for when and how we want to do these and be mindful of needing the other bills covered. So, we’re on a little bit of a wait and see pause for trailer which leaves is to prioritize the upgrades from ones that mean the most to us first, to ones that can wait. And it seems like the one that has won out for next is the exhaust fan replacement. The one we have now is original and while it still works, it is neither quiet, nor is it efficient in what we need it to do—which is exhaust out the hot air and replace it with cool, fresh air instead.

After a lot of research we have been told the best and easily most popular option is a Fan-Tastic Fan Vent which is touted to be the Cadillac of ceiling fans (yes, this is where Danielle and I know, we’re officially grown-ups… maybe even older). It moves a lot of air, is whisper quiet, and has upgrades that gives you both thermostat control and a rain sensor that will automatically close the roof vent in the event of rain which is a huge bonus and worth the cost alone! The trouble is, it comes with the cost that one would expect for something of this upgraded nature. So, we have to be a lot more calculated about when we buy one – especially given the terrible state of the US and Canadian currency exchange rate. So for now, it sits on the wish list.

The next piece is for the camping trip a couple weeks out is that my work schedule for the first few weeks in August revealed that I did in fact have the weekend off leading into the trip that we had originally planned on leaving Sunday for. Now, with the Friday and Saturday off too, we quickly looked for places we could make it to, and still have time to set up while there was still sunlight, after Danielle’s daycare day ended. We landed on Sibbald Point which was about half the distance to Bon Echo, but more importantly put us close to Charlie, Todd & Marshall so that we could slip in a visit. With sites available for the weekend, we booked in and added on to our trip which gave us more time camping out in Wolfie which there was no argument from any of us!

Today after work it was straight over to Mom & Dad’s and all the Teeter’s we could get there to celebrate Mom’s 75th birthday. The kids all played together and had a blast. The parents enjoyed the time together filled with laughs and catching up. And there were even tears from a certain girl named Emelia at the prospect of not being allowed to do the same things the older kids get to – like going downtown after Emelia’s bedtime to find Pokémons. It was a great time despite the over tired meltdown that Emelia pitched to end the night. Happy Birthday Grandma! (Happy Birthday Mom)

And that really was the week that was for us. There was definitely more that involved a cottage in Ipperwash and Danielle’s friends, but I will leave that story for Danielle to tell. But suffice it to say despite working a good chunk of the weekend I managed to sneak up there Friday after work and enjoy the cottage too! And a wobbly pop or two…

She said

The week back after vacation was about getting back in routine for the adults and for Emelia it was about getting to her favourite camp of the summer. Each summer for the last 4 years Emelia and Vaughan have gone to Fanshawe Pioneer Village for their pioneer camp. Emelia looks forward to this week all year for a few reasons, she loves the camp but more importantly to her she loves that she gets to spend the week with her cousin. Each night this week Emelia would come home with lots of stories of what she did that day and excited for the next day. She just adored the week and is already talking about going again next year. All in all a great week for her.

My week in daycare land went pretty smoothly, the children folded back into their routines quickly and were very excited to see each other. The daycare week flew by in a flash which was great because I had some fun plans over the weekend.

A few months ago my good friend Trish and I were talking about having a little girls cottage getaway at her cottage with another one of our friends. A great weekend away to just take it easy, have some drinks and spend a weekend together. We had a date set in stone and the plans started. About two weeks ago the plans changed a bit and we made it a family weekend getaway with the husbands and daughters. Emelia was trilled and John was excited to getaway as well.

Friday came so quickly and when Emelia got home from camp she and I had a quick supper and loaded ourselves in the truck for the hour drive to Trish’s cottage. The weekend was incredible, the girls all had a great time, Trish and Adam have two daughters ages 6 & 11, Karen and Raden have a daughter who is 8 and with Emelia being 9 it was a great mix of ages and the girls hit it off right away. Emelia who has really started coming out of her shell lately quickly made friends with the other girls and they spent the rest of the weekend attached at the hip.

The weekend was filled with games, trips to the beach, watching sunsets, eating s’mores, having some grown up drinks, late nights, sleep in mornings, and most importantly lots of laughs. All in all it was an incredible weekend!

To put the icing on a great weekend we got to come home and celebrate the birthday of one of our favourite people. Today is my mother-in-law Helen’s 75th birthday. We went over tonight to celebrate all that is important to her which is of course family. Happy Birthday Helen, we love you with all our hearts!