Saturday, August 7, 2021

A Golden Weekend

What better way to celebrate fifty years of marriage than with those who are nearest and dearest?

I remember when fiftieth anniversaries were called 'golden weddings'.
My parent's fiftieth celebration was like a wedding...
complete with formal invitations, a catered event with a lengthy program.

It was lovely and memorable...
but I so prefer our 'golden getaway' with our children and grandchildren.


Since our anniversary falls on a long weekend...
the cabins at Tigh Na Mara in Parksville were booked far in advance.

They were in fact booked before pandemic restrictions were in place...
in February of 2020. 

Whether our planned celebration would be happening at all was still in question a few months ago.

But as of last month...
we were free to travel outside our region and make the trek to Vancouver Island.

As it turned out...
we were not the only ones wanting to get on the ferry for the long weekend.

Despite having reservations for all four families...
it was not an easy feat to actually get to the ferry with the traffic backed up on the causeway to Tsawwassen ferry terminal.

We made it!


Once on board...
we took over one corner of he dining room.
Seeing whales as we ate was a bonus!


Thankfully our log cabins were all next to each other...
making meal time parties easy.


What a surprise to have deliveries to the front door of our cottage....
flowers and fruit.

The flowers were the perfect touch on the table...
and the fruit basket was enjoyed by all!


They all found their favorite place...


...to hang out.


That's what hammocks are for, right?


Dylan...


...and Micah.

They always find the skate park!


Micah took Grandpa on a crabbing expedition.


Beach time.


Cousin time...


And storytime too!
Who knew Micah was a storyteller?
Uncle Jeremy was a good listener.


We happened to have cabins right next to the tennis/basketball courts...
a bonus for all.



There were some serious ping-pong tournaments as well.
I think Ryder actually met his match!  LOL

I'll just add a few pic's from our photo session at the beach.


With the original three. :)


Kris & Lina.
Dylan, Ranen, Micah, Holly & Brynja (l-r)


Jeremy & Broni
Spencer, Ryder and Emme


Tim & Heidi
Lucy and Maggie



I am so thankful that we could all spend the weekend together at this beautiful spot.

Awhile back, Ranen tried on my wedding gown...
and it fit perfectly.
The plan was for her to model it at our anniversary celebration.
I brought the gown along...
and then we totally forgot about it.

But for the record...


...here is a picture of my granddaughter wearing my gown.


And of course...
a cake!


Fifty years went by so quickly.
We have no idea what tomorrow may hold...
but are thankful for God's faithfulness 
and look forward to the journey ahead.

(This is actually 'part 2' of my July post....
in case you missed my monthly re-cap.)





Tuesday, August 3, 2021

July ~ hot and dry and memorable

There was no doubt that it was summertime in our valley!  The sun shone every single day...


...and set over the cornfields at night.


Not only did we break all-time high temperature records...we have had no rain for a very long time.  The corn fields are thirsty and tasseling far too soon. 


Three of us went for a bike ride and met up with friends at the park in Yarrow one day.
We were leaving for home when we passed by Mighty Moose Ice-Cream. We did a quick u-turn and went back for a cone before the ride home. We called it lunch!  So good.


Sweet Lucy celebrated her 10th birthday this month. 
We let her pick where we would go for lunch...
and she chose Earl's. 
Maggie joined us and we had the nicest time together.
She may be tiny...
but she put away a big lunch and a massive ice-cream sundae. 
She may just be the most organized 10 year-old I have ever met...
one who looks after all the details and is never late for anything if she has her way. 


Jeremy and Broni celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary earlier this month...
together with friends and family in their back yard. 
The Crazy Gringo food truck provided Mexcan fare for all... 


...and Emme made up a candy charcuterie board for dessert.
She knows her dad well!


Another hot evening found us at Harrison Lake...
where we cooled off with ice-cream while the geese begged for treats.


Another evening we drove up the eastern hillsides and explored a property where Elmer's friend once lived.  The log home is till there...
along with horses, deer and evidence of bears.



Uncle Jake and Aunt Maggie celebrated their 65th anniversary a few months ago.
We had told them we would take them out to celebrate once the pandemic restrictions allowed us to.
So that happened last week.
I was flower girl for my uncle and aunt 65 years ago.
Uncle Jake was an usher at our wedding 50 years ago..
They are such an encouraging couple...
a blessing to all those around them.

We ended the month by celebrating our 50th anniversary with the whole family at Tigh Na Mara Resort in Parksville.


Our family is our dearest treasure...


...and it was the best way to celebrate the occasion.


Our precious grands!


On July 31, 1971 we said 'I do'.
We still do!

Our story isn't done yet...
but we are so thankful for the journey together so far.

Thanks to Janyhyh Wright Photography for the family photo memories.

I'll re-cap our weekend celebration on the blog soon...
but here is a review of July for now.