With hearts aching and eyes damp we said goodbye to grandparents, vacation and the ocean.

It was a long day but we managed to get in the door just before the clock struck twelve.

Here are some impressions.

:: An eldest’s request that we forgo the fast route for the detour through Vancouver (which is what us adults really wanted in our heart of hearts).

:: Liam asking in Vancouver if we were in Calgary yet. When he was told no, he requested an appetizer.

:: Amalia announcing when she turns 16 she will buy her own van, listen to ABBA and drink chocolate milk.

;; Revisiting, albeit from a moving vehicle, some of our favourite spots in a most beloved city.

:: Sarah singing, One of Us is Crying – just that one lyric over and over.

:: Simon removing shoes and socks for his blanket and trucks kiss his toes.

:: Dan’s frustration with drivers who do not follow, “Keep Right Except to Pass” and teenagers who throw footballs at the van.

:: A cappella singing of many ABBA songs with various true and made up lyrics.

:: Liam asking every few minutes when we would get to the tunnels then at every approach feigning quiet reading until we entered at which point he’d exclaim, “Who turned out the lights?”

:: Peanut butter cookies that bought peace at an opportune moment.

:: My delight at finding fresh local cherries at a quick stop for much cheaper than we’d pay at home.

:: The elderly woman who gave up her bathroom stall for a rather desperate Sarah.

:: Discovering I’m much more pregnant than I was three weeks and my bladder has much less room.

:: Sarah announcing three-quarters of the way home that she wanted to go back to Grandpa Jay’s house now.

:: Beginning and ending out trip listening to this album and this favourite song in particular.

:: Everyone settling in to sleep in their own familiar beds in their own familiar room in their own familiar home – even while those hearts were still rather tender.

*I would also like to point out how many of these impressions were inspired by ABBA. I do not enjoy ABBA, my children cannot get enough. It’s becoming a problem.

Happy weekending friends!

I love the ocean. I long for it. I dream about it. I imagine the smell, the sounds, the taste and the feel of it when I am far away.

I grew up near the ocean. Summer vacations were spent there. Long weekends often included a drive along the shore. Many trips were made across the small strip of it between Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island when we visited my grandmother.

Now I live in Alberta. It feels very far away from the ocean. My ocean.

And as much as my home is most certainly wherever this family is together, returning to the ocean always feels like coming home.

It has been six long years since I visited my east coast home. I am thankful, though, that my in-laws have relocated to the west coast (a little more within reach than the east coast) giving us an ocean destination to visit.

It’s wonderful to breathe it in. Feel it beneath my feet. Explore its endless wonders and mysteries.

We’ve loved the opportunities to dig in, get dirty and soak it all up.

And someday I hope to have a permanent home near the ocean.

One where we can kick off our shoes and enjoy many long days adventuring.

Do you have a home away from home? Somewhere that always calls you back? Or are you settled in your heart’s home?

I feel like these days I have a lot of pictures but not a lot of words. We are having such a wonderful time here. Relaxing (some of us, ahem, more than others), enjoying and exploring. I’ve been so blessed by the extra rest this time is offering me. My body feels so much better than it did when we first arrived, my mind has more opportunity to daydream about the little jumping bean we are all so anticipating and I’m so thankful for the opportunity to finish a small task and then sit down without the thoughts of a houseful of other tasks to complete first.

The kids are having the time of their lives, waking Grandma and Grandpa earlier each day in anticipation of the day’s events and going strong from dawn til dusk.

Tomorrow is a special day for a very special oldest sister. Birthday preparations have been happening all week and I almost have her birthday sweater ready…it may be missing its buttons and blocking but I’ll get the last button band finished tonight. She helped me make her cake today – her request was a vanilla cake with brown sugar fudge icing. It sort of makes my teeth crawl to think of all that sweet but we’re going to serve it with whipped cream and hope that softens the sugar blow.

We have a few other hopeful plans for the rest of the week- counting on the rain to stop first. There is a favourite dairy farm (with some milking for willing hands), strawberries that have just come ripe for picking at a local u-pick (hooray!!), a trip to visit the falls and a little more beach time.

Here’s a bit of how we’ve been spending our days…

trips around the house

baking with lemons and bananas in a kitchen so much roomier than mine at home

reconnecting with an old friend

building modern engineering marvels

hanging diapers to dry in the sun(!!!)

enjoying some familiar flavours

and some grandma and grandpa treats.

Oh yes, they have been special days.

The kids were in the care of grandma and grandpa. They may not even have noticed us leaving. Dan and I escaped for the day. A whole day.

We set out for Victoria, a 2.5 hour drive from my in-laws. I cast on a baby cardigan I wasn’t supposed to be knitting(thanks to a friend who kept teasing me with hers). We chatted. I only asked for a snack once.

Before we went downtown for lunch at this favourite vegetarian restaurant; before we wandered this favourite store; before meeting some of our favourite friends for awesome conversation; before joining them for take-out from this favourite noodle shop; before watching the sunset on my favourite long day of the year…we stopped, in a day of favourites, at one of my very favourite places.

It’s a special strip of road separating a lagoon from the ocean.

We parked and walked across to the lagoon beach were we sat watching Great Blue Herons, Caspian Terns and many different types of gulls.

Then we crossed the road to sit gazing out over the Pacific.

I breathed deeply of that most wonderful ocean air and my soul exhaled a few times.

After a rather long silence Dan turned to me and asked if I was enjoying myself. Oh yes, I was.

It was a great day.

In case you missed this post, the Jay family is on vacation.

We left our city home in the good hands of a friend and travelled west to the coast, half of the grandparents and salty air.

The 15-hour trip from door to door was absolutely wonderful. These little people of ours stunned us once again with their incredible travelling skills. Snacks, books, sketch pads and music kept everyone busy and we only answered the question, “Are we almost at the ferry?” about every 20 minutes.

It doesn’t hurt to have a few “vacation only” snacks packed to keep little fingers busy.

We even saw some wildlife…not including the flying fish.

Any guesses which child I had the best view of during our day?

After nearly twelve hours, thousands of snacks, one listen to The Best of ABBA *shudder*, three naps, one diaper blow-out and three potty stops we boarded a ferry to the Island.

The ferry trip is by far a kid-favourite – and thanks to the three naps the journey was raised immeasurably in Mommy and Daddy’s opinions.

We were on the ocean – floating as Sarah kept reminding us while she remembered this previous lesson.

As I savoured the view these clowns ran off some of that pent up energy.

I just adore these little people. And family vacations. And the ocean.

And I love how they all feel like home.