The Coquitlam Crunch

If you are looking for a good little workout you may want to check out the Coquitlam Crunch. Our kids ages 6 to 12 love a bit of a challenge and completed it no problem. It is 2.2 km each way with an elevation gain of 244 meters and took us about one hour to complete – I probably held them back a bit to be honest although Nya did not love the last 200 meters to the top.

Thankful Sunday

I know I haven't been consistent on here lately but family and work take priority. In February I definitely plan on being back to blogging more–besides, we have a few trips coming up in 2019 that I'd love to share about! I was hit very hard by a virus this week and mistakenly tried to power through it thinking each morning I'd feel better. I took a lot of time to rest over the weekend and cannot wait to be 100% myself soon! I have a huge appreciation for health each and every day and feel the only way I can do what I do (parent four kids including fostering and work outside the home) is that I need to be healthy.

This week I am thankful for:

Thankful Thursday

Well it's Thanksgiving weekend so I better have some thankfulness to share! This week I am thankful for:

Thankful Thursday

One of the reasons I started Thankful Thursdays years ago was reading Anna Voskamp's One Thousand Gifts and started practicing gratitude more but the other is because I loved sharing photos from our week. Now? Um, no photos to share. I'll try my best with the sub par photos I have on my phone.

This week I am thankful for:

Going Back to Work

Back in 2001, I started teaching science and that is when I met Gary who was a fellow first-year science teacher. I always imagined I would teach my entire life but through circumstances (health, kids, travel) I ended up having a variety of roles. I volunteered in Kenya, we started a photography business, I worked in social media and we became foster parents. I stayed connected to teaching through substitute teaching but it has been nine years since I've had a classroom of my own.

 If I have learned one thing over these past 17 years it would be that it's nice to have a five-year plan but be open to change and opportunities.

This is wild for me because Louise is a five-year plan kind of girl. I mean, probably even more like a ten-year-plan one. Committing six months or a year of your life to something might seem scary but it doesn't need to be forever and the growth that can happen from it is so worth it. I have learned so much and I'm glad I said "yes" to opportunities that came my/our way.

Thankful Thursday

Well, what a transition this year is! Now every morning we head out as a family of six to go to work and school. Our toddler goes to daycare, Nya is in primary, the two boys are in middle and then Gary and I are at a high school. A whole lot of preparation goes into it the night before to make sure we can get out of the door by 7:30 AM.  What am I thankful for today?

Could You Do a Year of Less?

Do you often buy a specialty coffee on work days? Get a manicure as a pick-me-up? Purchase new clothes because you're going to a wedding? I recently read The Year of Less by Cait Flanders in which she not only purged and decluttered over 50% of her household items but she decided not to buy anything new for an entire year unless it was consumable or on the "approved list" such as one new sweatshirt because she didn't have one. I've written about decluttering several times before specifically after reading Marie Kondo's The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. This book gives some food for thought and here are some of mine...

Rolley Lake Camping Trip

We had one last trip planned this summer: Rolley Lake Provincial Campground. Unfortunately due to the wildfires in B.C. the air quality was the worst we have ever experienced and it was advised to avoid strenuous activities and stay indoors. We visited the Stave Falls Powerhouse for an indoor activity but the rest was all outdoors. We decided to end our trip early and packed in as much of the camping experience as we could into those 24 hours.

Stave Falls Dam and Powerhouse

I've lived in B.C. my whole life yet had not visited the 100-year-old Stave Falls Powerhouse Facility in Mission, B.C. We were camping at Rolley Lake which is five minutes away and decided to check it out. I can see why various movies and TV series have been filmed there as it is quite a unique and historical site! The powerhouse was once B.C.'s largest hydroelectric source and was completed in 1912.

Five Important Lessons I Have Learned in My 40 Years

Here I sit wanting to make an impactful "What I know about life at 40" kind of post but I'm hesitant. Why? I look at what I wrote ten years ago and shudder at what I thought was wisdom. I was so naive and life, parenting and marriage have kept me humble and have been great teachers over the past ten years. To spin this positively, I could say that at 40 I know that the next ten years should be filled with growth and more wisdom which is a gift as I then approach 50.

What are some of the major lessons I've learned in 40 years of life?