Family Vacation and a Birthday Celebration
August 13, 2024
A much needed vacation away from the daily hustle and bustle of life took us to Prince Edward Island at the end July.
The four day stay found us at several locations on the island, including at the drive-in in Rustico for a late night movie — Despicable Me 4.
Reconnected With Long-time Friend
We re-connected with a long time friend from Ottawa, whom Michiel and I have known since we met each other a good 17 years ago.
This special friend was responsible for the union of two people on the dance floor at a wedding party some 16 years ago.
As you can see, between the two friends wading in the water — nothing has changed …the conversations carry on without missing a beat and they don’t stall due to awkward pauses.
P.E.I’s Cow’s Creamery
We were blessed to have sunny days and high temperatures for the entire trip, even though there were some complaints of needing to cool off, which was ultimately resolved by making a few trips to the renowned Cow’s Creamery.
Among trips to Cow’s for our dose of delectable double scoops of ice cream and pawing the many merchandise with the proud cow logo affixed (yes, we were not holding back on looking like tourists even though this is our third time back);
- We visited the Anne of Green Gables Museum — walking through trails picking wild raspberries and hoarding any shade available to us from the canopy of thick leaves above us
- We visited the souvenir store located close to the boardwalk — curious to see where it is now located after the hurricane ravaged the area two years ago
- We bought frozen yogurt at a corner store and sat our family at the picnic table near the park — it was a hot day, so naturally, our end goal was to have the yogurt in our stomach and not in a puddle on the ground — so, we attempted several rounds of “let’s have more treat NOW”
- The kids enjoyed the “Canadian Tire Park” (when you look on Google Maps the park is actually shaped like the logo)
Ferry and Airbnb Mishaps
Several mishaps took place during our vacation. The first one was that our ferry trip to the island was delayed due to many more travellers booking for that time slot. So, we waited another 1.5 hours for the next departure with no guarantee of getting on board.
Thankfully, that was not the case! We made our way on the ferry and across the water just in time for supper at our Airbnb.
Which leads to the second mishap, which took place only two days into our vacation, when we found out that we had booked our Airbnb for the wrong dates — we should have left for our trip one day ahead (we were kindly asked to pack up our bags to leave one day before we had planned to come home!) Michiel and I, frazzled by the mistake we had made, scurried online to select from an already slim list of available accommodations in our price range.
Feeling defeated by the unavailability of such accommodations, we faced the kids reluctantly to share the gloom news of needing to go home that same day. The frowns and shaky lower lips of each kid left a horrible imprint on our hearts. We knew we had to try one last time to find a place for one last night!
Our last attempt at almost 4 pm proved to be a SUCCESS! We stayed at a little cottage where we watched several Olympic events while slouching on the small pull-out couch with the younger kids hanging off the arm rests.
An Un-welcome Home
We came home from our trip at a few minutes past midnight to find a half shredded blackout blinds.
Our outdoor cats, while being taken care of during our trip by a kind friend, were just that: outdoor cats desperate to be outdoors. They were relieved to see us again and were even more relieved to have nature welcome them back outside.
Unfortunately, our bed welcomed us as graciously as did the shredded blinds — since rain was in the forecast during the days we were away, some trickles made its way down and straight onto Michiel’s side of the bed.
A quick but temporary solution had us laying several layers of towels and sheets onto the wet spot — just thick enough to absorb the water and keep it dry for a night’s slumber!
Grey metal roof
Play hard and work hard has been the motto in this household for some time now. The next morning was the day for a section of the metal roof to be installed.
The ever present, willing and hardworking dad, father, husband, and carpenter — Michiel eagerly strapped on his tool belt and hauled the roof onto a flat surface to score and install.
There is nothing better than going to bed at night knowing that you won’t feel a cold trickle coming from above!
A Very Happy Birthday To Our Girl!
The following week had us fulfill an 11 year old birthday girl’s request for a day trip to the City for a family celebration. The gorgeous summer weather — sunny with a slight breeze, called for a glorious day to venture onto the Emera Oval track to try out a new Ripstik (a birthday gift) and several options provided by the Oval; such as a long board, rollerblades, bikes, tricycles, and scooters.
It was a fun day packed with fresh air and vitamin C! We have no complaints!
This weekend ended with a final birthday party for Clementine. A delicious strawberry birthday cake, mango tart, and a cute birthday pancake meticulously created by the oldest sibling were in order — shared with friends and family to celebrate a sweet girl’s special day!
I hope this updates you on our latest adventures. Good night and sweet dreams to you, dear friends and family!
