The Hills are Alive....

"The hills are alive, with the sound of music..."

It's what plays in my mind each time I look at this photo.

Calvin took it with his phone on a hike he was on last Monday.

Fraser and Emma, along with extended family, made up the hiking party.

Howie and I opted to stay home for the day.

After seeing this shot, I am not so sure we made the wisest choice.
God's creation truly is glorious, wouldn't you agree?

Happy Monday!

With Love, Camille

The Quotidian (20. 7. 15)

Quotidian: daily, usual, or customary;

everyday; ordinary; commonplace. 

Abundant supply.

Flowers from a friend ~ Thank you SO much!  :)

Flowers from the same friend's little girl ~ Thank you, Miss R!

Family portrait on my birthday.

Birthday outing ~ cycling around Stanley Park.
(We just did the Stanley Park seawall this time.)

Some of my treasures.

Sometimes it pays to be a lady ~ note the location of the boys.

Cake and candles.

Growing old together.  :)

An attempt at preserving their beauty.

Unfortunately, they have wilted since this photo was taken.
I've read up on how to achieve better results next time.

Summer's bounty ~ from a tree that normally gives us three or four a season!!
Click here to see it in full bloom from just a few months ago.

Two shirts and one pair of pants took 45 minutes.  :)

Switching things up ~ again!

The old-new-again school room.

More organizing!

Happy Monday Y'all!

With Love, Camille

Snip. Snip. Snip.

It's all because of Howie.
And, I love him for it.  Just one of the reasons.

If it were left up to me, our children might never grow up.

I can tend to mother them beyond what's reasonable.
The temptation to tie them too tightly with my apron strings tugs at my heart.

Howie brings a wonderful balance to these tendencies of mine.

He encourages a methodical and age appropriate cutting of those strings.
I won't lie.  At times it's a little bit painful.  But, it's all for the best.

Our boys have gone camping.  Without us.  A few times.  

On one occasion, they travelled clear across the Province.  Into the heart of bear country.
If it had been up to me I am sure I would not have let them go.  Well, maybe at 30.
They not only survived, but, they thrived.  The timing was right.

They seemed to grow a little taller on that trip.
I am quite sure they must have.  Inwardly, at the very least.

 ~ From the above mentioned trip in 2014 ~

Just the other day, they took Miss M and Emma up to Grouse Mountain.
The very next day, they loaded up the van with bikes and Calvin drove to the ferry.
Once there, they unloaded those bikes and rode onto the ferry
along with the cars in order to spend the day on Mayne Island.

Howie and I stayed home.  Alone.
Snip. Snip. Snip.  Slowly, but, surely.

 ~ Just before they made the trek up Grouse Mountain ~

None of these things would have happened if I hadn't had assurance from
my better half that it was a good thing for them to do.  Without us.
It feels strange to make room for their wings to spread and give them the liberty to fly.
I cannot think about it too much, however.  I've even been known to leave when they do.

I'm always thankful when they arrive back home.
Safe and sound.  But then, off they go again.  I cannot tie them down.

~ After their day on Mayne Island ~

What a blessing it is to know that they are in the Lord's hands.
And, He loves them so much more than we ever could.
It truly is such a comforting thought.  So, I rest my heart there.
By His grace and in His strength.  Seeking Him for wisdom each step of the way.

What about you?  What are some of the ways in which you are
encouraging your children to soar?  What ages and stages are you currently in?
If your children are grown, what did you do to foster a healthy independence in them?
Please share your wisdom and experiences....I'm all ears.  :)

Many Blessings, Camille

**Grouse Mountain photo courtesy of Miss M ~
Thank you so much for sharing!  :)

What We Did

This past Wednesday was Austin's birthday.

He is not here to celebrate with us.  And, that's not something to celebrate.

However, we do like to mark the day.  Make it special in order to remember.

It feels strange to let the day pass by without some acknowledgement.
And, so we don't.  We can't.  There is comfort in the remembering.

Austin's first birthday after being called home to Heaven was last year.

We took the children to his grave and shopped for something special

for each of them in honour of his memory.
We went to Austin's favourite restaurant for dinner.

It was hard, but, it was good.

This year, (the second without our Austin physically here), 
we decided to do something a little different.
And, this is what we did to mark the day.

At first, we planned to just walk around the Stanley Park Seawall ~
one of our favourite things to do.  But, then I remembered a friend's suggestion
to bike it ~ all the way from Granville Island (see map above), around Stanley Park,
and back.  It was a great idea!  And, the perfect day to attempt it.

So, we (the boys) loaded all the bikes on the
back of the van, and we were off.

This was where Howie and I had our fancy date
just a couple of weeks ago.

Before the ride began ~ still feeling fresh and energetic and optimistic.
(Next year, I think I will do a little training before attempting to tackle it.)

See the row of blossoming trees in the background?
That was where we were headed for the start of our journey.

It was a beautiful day!  Emma took this shot ~ isn't it pretty?

It took two hours to complete the loop (with a few breaks here and there).

Howie and I lost the children (on purpose) for a few minutes ~
it was a little bit like a date.  :)

See the Granville Island Public Market sign (above left)?
The yellow building on the far right (on the other side of the water)
is Bridges Restaurant ~ the location of our recent fancy date.
It's near where our van was parked for this excursion ~ we were almost finished.

Howie and I think this may be the start of a new tradition
in honour of our Austin's birthday each year.

It was such a lovely day together and a wonderful gift from the Lord.
We are so thankful for the prayers of our precious family and friends.
Thank you to each one of you who have lifted us up before the Throne of Grace.

All the love and kindness shown to us has been such a great blessing.
We sensed the Lord's strength and grace with us throughout the day.
How good and gracious He is!  We so appreciate His loving care
manifested to us in tangible ways through the love of His people.

May He bless each of you abundantly!

With Love, Camille

**Photos in this post are a combination of mine and Emma's ~
thank you for sharing with me my little love.  xoxo

Bird's Eye View

Mid-summer we went on a little local adventure.

We had never taken our children up Grouse Mountain before,

so, it was high time we did!

The day was a little iffy weather-wise, but, we forged ahead anyway.

The boys opted to hike to the top with my Sweetie.  

Emma and I (wisely) took the tram.

Two of our dear friends joined us ~ what a treat!  
Here we are at the top (minus Howie and the boys...
they were still hiking) ~ I took the photo.  :)

See the boys and Howie?

It's not called "The Grouse Grind" for no reason.  It's grueling.

The boys completed the hike up in approximately 40 minutes.

Howie came in at just over an hour.

Grouse Mountain is a favourite local skiing spot in the winter months.

Here you can see the chair lift above and the city below.
The snow completely melts in the summer months.

Emma found some wild flowers ~ 

not sure if we were supposed to pick them!

Family photo-op.  :)

Our friends left the mountain earlier than we
had to in order to catch a ferry back home.

We ended our day by visiting the Grizzlies at their enclosure.

These two were rescued as orphans approximately fourteen years ago.

Apparently, they are well cared for and happy.  They are so powerful.

We were so trusting of the fence!

See how close they are to us?

See the two white peaks of the new bridge halfway up and

a little to the left of centre in the photo below?
Emma and I crossed it when we were making deliveries in the winter.

It was lovely to have this bird's eye view of Vancouver.

It was a rare treat for sure.

What adventurous things did you do this summer?

Do tell.  Pretty please?  Inquiring minds want to know.

Happy Wednesday Y'all!
With Love, Camille

Every Quarter Century (so far)

So far I've flown to Victoria on Vancouver Island twice.
Twenty-five years ago with Helijet and this past Monday with Harbour Air.
Both times I went with Howie and we flew for free.  Yippee!  :)

A friend of ours worked for Helijet long ago, and she gave us tickets 
so we went for the day.  That's how our first flight over was free.  

This past spring our Calvin did a photo shoot for Harbour Air.
He was paid for his services with cash and two round-trip tickets.
He gave us the tickets for our anniversary ~ wasn't that sweet?

Want to see what he was able to capture of their fleet?
Click here to see one of Calvin's photos.

So, our track record includes a flight to the Island
once every quarter century.  A rare treat for sure.  
We only make it every twenty-five years if it's free ~
that's a necessary requirement.  :)

Here's the seaplane we boarded in Vancouver Harbour.



Howie sat in the front row seat directly behind the pilot.



I was allowed to sit right beside the pilot!  See the headset?  Fun times.



As we flew over the Lion's Gate Bridge, Howie snapped a photo.
We have walked under this bridge and driven on it...now we have flown over it.
See the group of trees the bridge seems to disappear into?  That's Stanley Park.
The seawall we have walked many times is visible beneath it.



Heading into Victoria Harbour.



Howie with *our* plane...



...and both of us with it.  Self-timed shots are the best.  :)



The day was glorious with hardly a cloud in the sky.
The Legislative Buildings in the background and the 
hanging baskets in the foreground were stunningly beautiful.
One thing I *love* about Victoria is the hanging baskets...they are everywhere.



Howie looking back toward the inner harbour.
The Empress is on the far left in this photo.



Couldn't resist using Emma's Macro setting for a few flower shots.
(Thank you my little love for loaning me your camera.)



We saw many Harbour Air planes taking off and landing throughout the day.



We walked and walked and walked along a never-before-discovered path.
It was lovely and has become our new favourite.  
We think it's the best kept secret of Victoria.



Our view from one of the benches along the path.
Looking to the right...



...and to the left.



Oh, look...it's us!  :)



Howie and the pilot heading into our home-bound plane.



Howie took a turn in the cockpit ~ a definite highlight.



The views on the return flight were amazing.



See those little tiny white dots?  They are yachts and sailboats.

If you look closely, you'll see the tail end of a ship directly below us.
It was one of the BC Ferries ~ I took this shot looking straight down.
The pontoon is hiding most of the ferry ~ they are HUGE.
Whenever we go to Victoria, we normally travel on the water, not above it.



Vancouver from the air.



Landed and docked (on the water) safe and sound.



The view looking back at the line-up of seaplanes docked at Vancouver.
The plane furthest away in this shot was the one we flew on.



It was a real treat to have had a day out together...just us.
Thank you, Calvin, Fraser and Emma for sending us away 
for the day and for holding the fort ~ We love you!  XO

Wonder if we'll go again.  
Hmmm....maybe in another twenty five years?

Many Blessings,
Camille