Operation Explorations: My new travel blog

I am crafting my life :)

Well we are crafting our lives as a family...even though I am WAY behind on the actual course :(

I have just created a new blog to document our preparations, our journey and our explorations of our upcoming Coast to Coast trip through the US and visiting the East Coast of Canada from April 20th 2011 to September 2011 and all other future road trips.

Pop on over to my OPERATION EXPLORATIONS BLOG and see our new trailer! I will keep this blog too but will post all of our travels at the new BLOG!

homemade cardboard blocks

At Christmas time my girls ate box after box of these Mandarin Oranges. I wasn't complaining...they were a great cheap healthy snack. I wish they would sell them all year long!
We turned the boxes inside out and used some of them as gift boxes at Christmas and the girls decorated them with markers and stickers and ribbon. I neglected to get any photos :(

The other day as I was about to finally squash them and put them out in the recycling as I was getting tired of looking at them all piled up on top of my kitchen cabinets, Aayla must have read my mind and she pointed to them. I brought one down to show her they were empty as I assumed she wanted to eat them but she started to pile them up. She must have spent a good 45 minutes playing with these. Before we sold the daycare THESE blocks (click) made by Melissa and Doug were some of her favourite toys to play with so it shouldn't really surprise me that she invented her own!

Fun to eat, fun to stack, fun to count, fun to knock down and start all over again :)

Fun Family February days... (Feb nature connections)

OK 3rd post of the day...I'd save this for tomorrow but tomorrow we pick up our new travel trailer!!!! and that will be my focus :)

After spending a week in Jamaica without our children it was nice to return home...(OK honestly...I could have stayed another week in Jamaica but yes it was good to get home to our family)

We spent the weekend together with family and friends...Saturday we all went to White Rock Beach.

(Aayla walking and balancing with Grammy Sue)

(Aayla enjoying a walk over all the big rocks with daddy)

(wouldn't be a fun trip to the beach without getting wet!)

(Sierra giving Grammy Sues new puppy, Rosebud or Rosie for short, a little kiss)

And when the day was done, even though we had many stairs to climb, looking at these mosaics actually makes stair climbing enjoyable :)

on Sunday we went to Stanley Park with my brother Leif and his wife Laural. We had a nice day visiting the ducks,

playing at the playground

and of course climbing trees!

(Look mom I am a sloth!)

(Proud to have climbed up on to the tree all by herself!)

(Aayla with Auntie Laural)

(OK mom enough with the pictures as Aayla enjoys a free ride with Uncle Leif in his new wheelchair)

and enough with the posts for that matter!

Surviving Cancer....

This is my brother Leif:

and I'd like to take a minute to give anyone out there reading this blog who is dealing with Cancer or who knows someone with Cancer a bit of encouragement.

A few months ago at the ripe old age of 29, my brother was diagnosed with Lymphatic Leukemia. He was told he needed transplants: liver and bone marrow for sure and that was only if he lived past the next 2 weeks.

A shock non the less, to go to the hospital with lower back pain and find out your whole body is riddled with Cancer and you will be lucky to live another 2 weeks. He hung his head and was about to give up. Who wouldn't with news like that? ME...that's who. I believe our lives are what we make of them. If your mind gives up why should your body keep fighting?

I told my brother to go ahead and cry...everyone would with news like that. Take some time to grieve this devastating news...then sit up and deal with it! It may sound harsh but I believe it works. He has always been a fighter. He is strong and if he can fight with his mind, his body will have the strength to fight through the chemo.

I take no credit for the miracle of his survival. I gave my brother the tools to craft his own life, to make a choice, to deal with his Cancer, the same tools that helped me deal with my Multiple Sclerosis and I want to share it with you all...NEVER give up and KEEP POSITIVE! My brother should not have made it out of the hospital but he did! He is in a wheel chair for awhile but with time, and his determination, he WILL walk again.

Positive thoughts bring positive actions...so go on...go tell someone who is fighting an illness to BE STRONG and CARRY ON, and if it happens to be you needing this encouragement then I hope that reading this can encourage you to take your destiny in your own hands, BELIEVE in the POWER of POSITIVE thoughts! We do and it works for us :)

I wish you well on your journey and am thinking positive thoughts for you no matter where you are, what you have, YOU can conquer it!

"Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same. ~Francesca Reigler"

“Be like the bird that, pausing in her flight awhile on boughs too slight, feels them give way beneath her, and yet sings, knowing that she hath wings.”

Victor Hugo

(This crow picture is dedicated to my brother Skye

who passed away at 29 with a brain anerisim. We miss you Twirp. We hope you are enjoying your days on your big rock candy mountain. We are thankful that Leif decided not to join you at 29 as well and wish you could still be here with us. All over the world, your friends and family unite in our love for you, and will see you again when our journeys here are done... when we take flight to come visit you)

Our Annual Jamaican Getaway

My husband and I have just returned from our annual getaway sans children... we spent a wonderful week in JAMAICA!

I must admit it is really nice to have 1 week a year where we can devote our time and attention 100% to eachother! I wish we could do it a couple times a year as it is so important to rekindle the flame even if it isn't flickering. We have chosen Valentines week to be our special week but we also devout time to each other on a daily basis as well. I think that is why after 12 years our love is still so strong. We cherish our love, we appreciate each other, we consider each others needs even amidst the hustle and bustle of our everyday lives.

This is actually only our second getaway year as before then my girls were too little to leave and feel comfortable (now 3 and 4). I am fortunate that I also have a 22 year old Meadow, who offers to watch them now 1 week a year so we can go. Thank you again Meadow! You are the best!!!

We had a wonderful week soaking up the sun together. We stayed in Negril and on Valentines day went for a lovely walk along 7 Mile Beach. The sand was wonderful, the sun was amazing and the shells were plentiful too. I was so excited to find my conch shell. There were all kinds of them lying along one stretch of the beach without the tips but mine is all intact with only a few minor blemishes and I LOVE it!

Even though it was sunny and warm for us in Jamaica, it was windy and we were only able to go snorkeling once. We saw lots of sea urchins and small fish. Nothing too exciting but still lots of fun!

Last year when we spent our Valentines week away we did many excurions everyday (Duns River, and Horseback riding 3 times), but this year we just enjoyed the peacefulness of eachothers company...spending time together, discussing where we want to take our future, enjoying the sun and relaxation, our beach walks and we did take a sunset cruise on our last night. The perfect end to a fairytale week.