Jun
2019

Celebrating life, celebrating summer!

We had our year-end BBQ for Gymnastics. I have officially moved on from Level 4 to Level 6! I am excited for next year.

He said

Friday was the 21st of June and as thus is was the first day of summer. We’ve had a long, wet & cold spring that has caused substantial flooding and dampened our camping spirits somewhat. As we looked at the weather forecast for this weekend as it approached, we were excited and optimistic. The entire weekend called for clear skies, sun and highs around 24º C. So, as we welcome the Summer Solstice Friday morning I ran a few errands in order to get us ready to pick up the trailer and head out for a weekend of camping!

A month ago when David let us know that the Celebration of Life for Linda would be on the weekend of her birthday – a weekend that I just happened to have off already, we decided to make a weekend of it in the trailer at a campground near them in Welland. And, the campground was one that David, Linda & the kids had spent time with friends they made while they lived in London, so it seemed like the right place to set camp for the weekend. And I know Linda would love that we worked camping into this weekend, to celebrate her life.

With having the day off Friday, it meant I could head out to the trailer a little ahead of Danielle & Emelia so I could get the third rail mounted on the bike rack, and then get the trailer hitched and ready to go so that we could be on the road the second Danielle got out to the trailer. We left Danielle’s Mini in the storage so that they could go right from there to the Year-End Gymnastics BBQ on Sunday when we got back. I was ready by the time Danielle arrived, and quickly we were on our way.

The park itself was on the pricier side of private campgrounds we’ve stayed at, but it is really nicely laid out and offers tons to do including a large area to hike, swimming pool/splash pad, plenty of sports to do (basketball, tennis, peddle bikes). We made dinner and then set up a campfire to enjoy the clear night sky filled with stars. Saturday morning we got to bike around in the morning, explore their manmade island and enjoy the slower pace.

The Celebration of Life was just what it should be – family & friends from near & far came together to share memories of a life well lived and the people Linda touched. But, the best part was after the gathering was over, the family came back to the trailer and we had in impromptu BBQ and get together. There was lots of laughter and it was just great to be all together in our favourite pastime: camping. A little while after dinner, the family made their ways back home and we got back into another campfire to close out the day.

Today we had a to pack up and get back home earlier so that we could make it home in time for Emelia’s end of year Gymnastics BBQ. Traffic was a little tricky getting back and our usual route bypassing Hamilton and Burlington was closed, which made it touch & go for a bit, but once we got past that, it was smooth sailing and we were happy we’d left the Mini where we store the trailer so the second we got there, Danielle & Emelia could carry on the BBQ while parked and unloaded the trailer. They were just a few minutes late but missed nothing.

As I sit on the front porch enjoying this amazing (finally) summer weather normally I’d be a little wistful about another camping behind us, but the good news is, next Saturday after I wrap up my work day, we’re right back out! And this time it will be a week-long trip back up to the Muskokas to Arrowhead Provincial Park where we will also get to visit Charlie, Todd and Marshall in their neck of the woods. I am so excited about our first, bigger trip out in this camper. And it to same campground we inaugurated Wolfie Too, too!

She said

I feel that I start every blog entry the same way: “What a busy week!” This week was a lot appointments for Emelia. Emelia has been battling her stomach pains for over a year and finally was able to get into the specialists to get some answers. As we had suspected the root of the stomach problems started with the virus she had last spring. The specialist said that the virus did damage to the nerves in her stomach and it was going to take a long time to repair itself. Sadly the stomach will never be 100% but Emelia’s stomach has finally started healing itself. We are in still a patient with both specialist if she gets another virus in the next year that causes her stomach to react the same way. We have a treatment plan in place and the good news is that her stomach is doing much better and we have some ideas on how to strengthen her natural gut health.

The other big appointment for Emelia was getting her orthotics. She has been battling pain while she trains at both gymnastics and dance. The pain has manifested into her day-to-day. After all of the work she’s with our chiropractor and massage therapists, we were told to get her assessed to see if her feet were the root of the problem. She got her orthotics this week and after one a small adjustment she is finding some major improvements already.

After all the appointments and calls we were more than ready for the weekend to get here. This weekend we had another camping trip planned but for somber reasons. This weekend was the Celebration of Life for our sister-in-law Linda. Yesterday would have been her 54th birthday—what a perfect day to celebrate the life of our sister. It was a gathering of her friends and family. The turnout was amazing.

After the celebration we had John’s entire family meet back at our trailer and had a great BBQ together. The kids had a great time and so did the grown ups. The campground we stayed at was a nice family campground with mainly seasonal campsites. The sites were close together but well maintained and there was a lot to do. Two pools, a splash pad and walking trails. It was a great campground and a great weekend.

This morning we got up early-ish and packed up to head back to London for Emelia’s year end gymnastics party. This picnic is one that the girls look forward every year. The girls create their own year dance floor routine to show off their tumbing skills. They all did an amazing job. The team Emelia was on this year has hands down been the best team of girls she has trained with, she has had amazing teammates before but this group as a whole has been her closest group of friends. The whole team is supportive, loving and just an amazing groups of girls. I am so happy that most of the team is staying together next year as they move to level 6.

All in all it was a busy but good weekend. I am hoping that this week is a quieter one as we prepare for our week away. The countdown is seriously on!

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