Easter Weekend

I suppose it's about time for a new post!! Things here have been SUPER crazy!! Wika was in training for his Yellow Pages job for 4 weeks!! It was just crazy busy for him. He was there for 9 hours or so a day then he gets home and starts on job number 2! He was there with us at home, but just wasn't really "there" My poor husband was just exhausted. So we decided we wanted to get away! So we planned a trip over the the Island for Easter weekend. We were pretty lucky he got Good Friday and Easter Monday off! So we booked our ferry reservation and a hotel and we were off!! And can I just say WOW, what a great trip it was!!! We even got to stay a couple of extra days because his work needed him over there for some help on a couple of appointments! It was just nice to get away, just our family. We were able to stay with some great friends 2 nights and then we stayed in Victoria for a night as well! The island is BEAUTIFUL, and yes...I think I could be an island girl! I woulnd't mind living there at all!!

So here is the start of the trip, the ferry. We just so happened to leave the day of a huge WIND storm. We were quite nervous that they would cancel our ferry, but alas they didn't. They did have to cancel some of the smaller ferries though due to the storm.

Emma of course LOVED the big boat...she ran and ran and then just when you think she was done she ran some more. I however was getting a bit sea sick, because of the storm, the boat was swaying quite a bit and I couldn't wait to get off!

Our first stop, once we were offf the ferry, was in Nanaimo. Where we stayed with our good friends the Schortinghuis'. When we arrived she had one of the BEST Crepe lunches for us. I had heard all about her crepes...and they definitely surpassed my expectations! They were delicious. The next day we decided to make the trek to the west coast...Toffino and Ucluelet.

We stopped on the way at Cathedral Grove. Not quite red wood sized trees...but BIG trees!

Emma is about to jump off a tree, that is pretty much all she wanted to do...well that and take EVERY pinecone that was on the trail and throw it to the side.

Family photo...we are inside an uprooted tree...see I told you they were pretty big!


They gang...me, Wika, Emma and Joyce (the incredible crepe maker) in Toffino
On the beach in Toffino-Emma and her puddles...by this time she was a total wet mess. We had to take her pants and socks off any time we got in the car and try and dry them as much as we could...at least until the next stop where she just jumped in the puddles again. Totally cute though

After a great visit in Nanaimo we headed to Victoria. Easter Monday turned out to be one incredible day! So we just wanted to be outside. So we headed to the wharf. Here is Emma watching the seals, she had NO fear we had to watch her like a hawk.

Feeding the seals at the wharf

Our cute family at the Wharf in Victoria

Wika and his mussels and clams...ewww (he sure was in heaven)

This was absolutely my FAVORITE stop of the trip. Many of you know, and if you don't you will now, but my husband went to boarding school at Shawnigan Lake. He was there for his junior and senior year. I am not sure why he had to go to boarding school, he was such a "good" kid!! He did really enjoy it there, and I can see why... it was just BEAUTIFUL!!

This building is the main building...

This was where he lived, Lonsdale house. However, that is no longer Lonsdale house as they have expanded.

Here is the church, they were required to attend.

Here is the real "Lonsdale" house. (plaque)

Here is the dining hall, ya totally reminds me of Harry Potter!! :o)


It was such a gorgeous campus and I could really have spent more time there. But we needed to head up WAY north of the Island to Campbell River.

There wasn't a whole lot to do there, but our hotel was right on the water front so we would just walk the seawall. (no pictures here, just some videos-sorry)

Here is Emma - after a nice long day there's nothing like laying down and falling asleep in a nice king size bed!

We were pretty far north, and here is our proof...the 50th parallel

*this is the day we left...yet again another wind storm



I know, it was a long post and I could of broken them up...but oh well!! We had a wonderful trip!! And I am already trying to figure out when I can go back to the island!?!?