Whew! I’m back from a seemingly whirlwind trip to Burnaby/Sechelt/Vancouver. My mom, Isla and I headed down to the coast Friday morning for a little weekend getaway, not only for some shopping, but also to bring a little closure. (More on that later)

We left around 9:30 Friday morning after rushing Isla through her breakfast and getting her motivated to sit in her carseat for 4 hours. She actually travels really well and just played with her Mangadoodle until she fell asleep after we were about half-way to Chilliwack. She woke up just in time for us to stop for lunch, so it worked out perfectly! After lunch, we continued on our way to Burnaby, where we were going to stay with my grandpa and his girlfriend. We got there around 2 p.m. and were able to unpack and relax for a little bit before we headed to Ikea!

I probably could have gotten into a lot of trouble in Ikea, but I had a mental list of things I wanted to get, including something for Isla’s birthday, a cake stand, and a little plant for the hallway. I managed to get those three things, plus a few extras: some wall art for the ensuite bathroom (pictured on the right –>), cutting boards, a clock, a pig stuffy for Isla, and some more cork hot pot holders. The bonus? I didn’t spend more than $100! Go me! After that we headed back to the house and got ready for dinner. As it turns out, my uncle and aunt had also come down for the weekend, so they came over for dinner as well! It was actually great to see them, because I haven’t seen them both in about 2 years!

So, the main reason behind this whole trip was because we were going to go to Sechelt on Saturday to spread both my Nana’s (my great-grandma) and my Grandma’s ashes. May 9th was my Grandma’s birthday, and with Sunday being Mother’s Day, my grandpa thought it would be fitting to do it that weekend.

We got on the road fairly early and were able to catch the 8:30 a.m. ferry up the Sunshine Coast to Langdale/Gibsons. It’s been about 15 years since I’ve been that way, and let me tell you – I appreciate how beautiful it is more than ever now. Seriously – if you haven’t been, you should. We all met up with old family friends of my Grandma’s, as well as her cousin, and we made our way to the seaside.

I must say, I wasn’t sure how I was going to react while we spread the ashes. It’s been 8 years since my Nana passed away, and 2 years since my Grandma, but it still seems like it was yesterday. The weather was windy and the waves were making their presence known, but it still felt so peaceful being there at the water. We tossed roses into the water and along with a few tears we shared a few memories.

Afterwards, we spent some time walking along the shoreline before heading back to a family friend’s house, where there was a delicious luncheon prepared for us. I really can’t get over all the wonderful people my grandparents have got to know and became friends with over the years. They were like an extended branch of the family. After lunch my mom, aunt, Isla and I went for another little walk to the water, and I couldn’t help but strike a quick tree pose in a little sandy spot in the ocean.

By 3:30 is was time to head back to the ferry terminal so we could get on the 4:30 ferry. We could have done so much more exploring if time had allowed, but when travelling with a 2-year old you can’t push your luck too much ;)

The view from the ferry along the Straight of Georgia.

Let me just say that I had the wonkiest sleep patterns ever on this trip. I would go to bed around 9:30-10 p.m. and wake up at 5:30-6 a.m. without an alarm or anything like that. I don’t know if it was the pressure of our busy schedule, but I was exhausted and a little cranky by the end of the day. Thankfully my Grandpa is an early riser as well and always had a hot cup of coffee ready for me when I came upstairs.

On Sunday my mom, Isla, and I caught the Skytrain into Vancouver to meet up with my brother! I haven’t ridden the Skytrain in ages (I think I was probably 11?) so we were a little lost when it came to what train to get on, but some very nice people happily pointed us to the right side of the concourse. My brother met us at the Tim Horton’s right by the station, and we caught the bus (my first city transit bus trip EVER) to the apartment he shares with his girlfriend. Let me tell you, his view is HORRIBLE:

I have no idea how he can stand looking at the inlet and seeing those gorgeous sunsets. Pfft …

After letting Isla stretch her legs we walked about 4 blocks to Stanley Park (AGAIN – How can my brother stand living where he does?!) and walked along the seawall to Third Beach, where it was nice and sandy. I let Isla walk through the sand with bare feet and she loved it! We went to the water edge so she could put her feet in the ocean and she thought it was the best thing ever. She was seriously upset that she couldn’t go all the way in.

Balancing rocks along the Seawall

We grabbed lunch at Fatburger, where I opted for fish & chips instead of a burger, and then walked it all off on our way to Robson Street to do a little shopping. I bought a couple of tanks from Old Navy, a caramel apple for Kyle from the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, and some new yoga shorts from lululemon. (I seriously have a lulu addiction.) After that, it was back on the bus to my brother’s place, where we met up with his girlfriend so they could both join us back at my grandpa’s in Burnaby for dinner.

We ended up not going for dinner until just after 7, and the restaurant was PACKED. We didn’t get seated until around 8 p.m., and I was really worried about Isla having a meltdown, but she didn’t have a care in the world! She was too busy playing with chopsticks and teacups to care about eating dinner at the time when she’s usually going to bed. We eventually got home around 9 p.m. and Isla was out like a light after a quick bath and story.

My mom and I loaded up and headed home yesterday morning and made good time. Isla dozed in and out of sleep the entire way home. It feels great to be back home; I missed Kyle a lot, and even my doofusy dogs too. As much as I love travelling, it can be so stressful, especially when you have a jam-packed schedule and a toddler. Isla had a blast the entire time and was so well behaved; she was seriously the centre of attention the entire trip. Some sweetly-cooky older lady on the ferry stopped dead in her tracks and commented on how gorgeous Isla was. Apparently the lady used to work as a casting director for films and said that she “still has the eye.” It was a little weird, but Isla loved the compliments ;)

So there you have it – my busy, crazy weekend in a nutshell! Now I’m back to the regular routine at home, and I wouldn’t have it any other way :)