Summer Thus Far.

Well as hoped, these summer months have been a hoot and a holler. Summer months are always highlighted with regular Ontario visitors who are wisely selective in their trip dates to rainy Vancouver - so far we're happily hosting from May to September!

Mom and Dad kicked it off parent style in May when they came out for a week and a half! It was the first time they were out the BC together since I moved here permanently and met Andrew. So it was a treat to host them in our new place! We peppered the week with Vancouver gems including boating in the Gulf Islands, Granville Island, Whytcliff Beach and English Bay, and had such good home-time playing games, eating meals and drinking coffee. And Mom was the catalyst in finishing our DIY table.

Happy 30th Anniversary! Our Gulf Island boating adventure.

Granville Island

Goofs.

Part two of Mom and Dad's trip was an Alaskan cruise to celebrate their 30 years together. We spent a couple days in Seattle before seeing them off.

Pike Place's original Starbucks

They loved the gum wall [not].

A visit to the Freemont Troll, holding a real VW Beetle!

June was a really exciting month for the community that I work in! - graduation month! I got to see a number of youth walk the stage that I've seen and journeyed with throughout their high school years. I felt a bit like a proud mamma, knowing what they have overcome and pushed through to get to their high school graduation. These kids continue to blow my mind and inspire my heart with their resilience, determination and hope.

Prom Night: Rebel, Leslie, Erica and Aliza - 4 best friends I've known for 5yrs

Shaniece and I at Native Grad - met this lovely lady in her summer before gr. 9

The Inner Hope cheer squad at Rebel and Erica's high school grad 

In June, my long term room mate, bridesmaid and friend Sarah Martin and her boyfriend Tyler were in town for a week. It was so wonderful to spend time in our city together! Both Sarah and I moved here together in 2009 and spent a year and a half as room mates as we figured out life in this place together. She's a dear sista and it was great to have her and Ty here!

Martin & I in a favourite coffee shop

Hiking the Chief in the rain

July visitors were our Vandenakerboom family! - Aunt Darlene, Uncle Joe and Maverick were here for 4 days to explore this city. They had some high priorities must-sees, which included riding the Sky Train, finding a star fish, visiting Science World and checking out the Vancouver Aquarium. We hit them all up! It was a new adventure seeing Vancouver through the eyes of a 5 year old who has high fascination levels!

Very Excited... but not sure about touching it!

A couple of really mature adults...

Exploring low tide at Spanish Banks

Girls getaway to Granville Island 

"Drove" the Sky Train for two+ hours!

Then the July outdoor adventures began. Let's just say we've slept in tents for a third of July and have hiked approximately 70km this month! First was Oregon and Mt. St. Helens, the Washington volcano that had a major eruption in 1980. We spent a couple nights with friends, camping and surfing on the Oregon Coast, then Andrew and I camped at the base of Mt. St. Helens and made the 16km, 8.5hr hike the next day up a lava flow. We had lunch basically dangling our feet into the volcano's crater! It was incredibly challenging but so amazing! 

Surfing at Short Sands

Deepwells & Hartungs

Kite flying on the beach

The lava flow 'trail' up to the crater

The crater of Mt. St. Helens!

Within 4 days of arriving back to Vancouver, we loaded up our packs and were ready for a 3 days hiking trip to Garibaldi Park with our friends Nancy and Stephen. It was a 9km hike in to where we camped by Garibaldi Lake, and we spent the second day making the climb up The Black Tusk - which, I thought Mt. St. Helen's was scary... climbing the last part of The Tusk was absolutely the most untrusted, fearful athletic feat I have ever done in my life.

We had the most splendid time with our friends, exploring my now new favourite place in BC. Camping and cooking by the glacier fed lake with the glacier looming in the distance, being above the snow topped mountains and resting in the beauty of the mountains - the best! :)

Stephen, Nancy, me and Andrew @ Garibaldi Lake

Glacier Sunset

When the hike became a climb...

Absolutely worth the view at the top of The Tusk!

Three days after getting back to Vancouver, AGAIN, we packed up for another camping trip - this time with my work, Inner Hope. We took half a dozen youth camping in Golden Ears Provincial Park. It it always both a treat and a gift to see these kids out of their urban neighbourhoods, without the burdens of their every day, playing and delighting in nature. I'd pay to see it in these kids I love.

Our hike to the waterfall

Andrew, as per usual...

The never ending game of trying to sit on a floating log

Our camping crew

And then, July 30th, was our 2nd anniversary! We ventured out to suburbian White Rock for dinner and a beach sunset. It was a delight to enjoy such a lovely evening together, reminicing about the last couple years, and dreaming about what's ahead. We're so thankful for our shared life!

The White Rock pier

It's been a fabulous summer so far! We're trying to make the absolute most of life and our shared free time before Andrew starts full time school in September. I'm so proud of him!