Summer 2015 Bucket List Ideas

Need some ideas on sprucing up the remaining weeks of summer? We are half way through July, have you knocked any to do's off of your 2015 Summer bucket list? Have you even made a summer bucket list yet??? Don't fret ... I have you covered.  Read - take notes - plan - take action !!! Oh, and enjoy every damn minute. 

1. Be a tourist in your own city. We all know the hot spots that are note worthy for tourists, so why not check them out for yourself. You will be amazed at the history your city holds and exploring might bring you closer to the place you call home.
Charlottetown is an unbelievable picturesque town with a ton of entertainment. With it's postcard coastline, lush farmlands, Confederation Trail, Peake's Wharf's Historic Waterfront, parks, racetrack, world renowned golf courses, cutting edge culinary, performing arts musicals, Founders Hall attractions, it has spectacles and history charm for all.
And if you are in the Saint John, NB area I highly recommend catching up with David Goss' Walk n Talk tours. They are free and cover phenomenal facts about the history of Saint John and the surrounding area. Go alone or grab some friends, pick up a coffee/tea, and exercise your legs while celebrating the past. 

2. Try your hand at a new hobby. Being married to a creative animator really allows me to explore my imaginative side. I've always shied away from exploring my "wonders" as I didn't know how to implement them or I was scared of not being good at it. Bouncing those ideas off of Adam has allowed me to take the plunge. I have a number of things I want to try... pottery, photography, knitting, sewing and have taken a slight interest in painting. The last time I painted I was in Junior High (shows how long ago that was because they call it Middle school now) and it was in a mandatory art class. Adam broke it down like this ... paint something for 30 days straight, you will see improvement and you will try your hand at a new interest. So I started and by no means are my paintings good, but I see improvement and I like the fact that my technique is different. My wise friend April told me,  "Everyone is an artist, artistry is an application that needs practice so use that muscle". I guess that can be a reflection of a lot of things in our lives!

3. Put down your phone and ENJOY!!!  Yes, I said it. Step away from your mobile and practise "living in the moment". You can't accomplishment being in the moment if you are taking a picture, texting or checking Twitter. Let your soul and memory capture the beauty of your surroundings and embrace being "checked in". Make conversation with those around you and encourage others to go mobil free as well, oh and don't get upset when they don't text you back right away because they may be taking your advise. 
Live for now, live for today and express your gratitude in todays joys so you can appreciate the life you have.  You will thank yourself later! 

4. Go on a Grub crawl.  Gather your friends, make a list of all the place you have been meaning to try and hit the town with an appetite. Start by swapping appetizers, next stop entrees and finish with dessert at a few restaurants revelling in the fresh local produce. Converse with friends, make a day or evening out of it and plan to do it again!

5. Try your hand at a physical activity. Summer is the best time to get outside to laugh and play. I've been eyeing a number of activities that I'd love to take part in including paddle boarding, bubble soccer (look this up and tell me you don't want to try it), and frisbee in Victoria Park. We love to go swimming with our dog Oliver, so finding pet friendly beaches is always a bonus. And many evenings are spent watching the sunset while playing a competitive game of bocce ball or washer toss in our yard. Get outside and make the most of your surroundings!
Sidenote: although not physical (some might disagree) I will be trying my hand at Charlottetown's Escape Room. It will be scary but so worth the thrill. Post will follow after my attempt!

6. Hit up those yard sales. There is a unique pleasure in searching for the perfect find and this feeling always appears when thrift shopping, discovering a jackpot sale and scoring the best treasure at a yard sale. If you see something you like, but think it needs some added love, buy it and get creative. Sometimes you come across the perfect piece of pottery, a wool blanket or a teapot just like your nanny use to have. Whatever the valuable, bring it home and display it, who knows what type of conversation piece you might be holding. 
My husband has a fondness for guitars, loves to play music and dabbles in a band (with my father!!!). So we are on a mission to find older guitars that he can display in his music room one day. What is old, is always new again so have fun hunting.

Let's just face it, we are more than half way through 2015. So setting goals, bucket lists etc is a great way to experience life as it seems to fly past. Encourage yourself to explore something everyday, write down those wishes and make them goals. Who knows when you will "kick the bucket", so treat each day as a special occasion. Don't wait for the right moment to experience life, create the moment and share life's adventures". 


Now I would love to hear what you have on your bucket list.
Have you be able to check some goals off?
Please share any recommendations or experience you might have. I want my list to grow !!!

Enjoy and have fun kicking the bucket!

Erin 

Weekend Recap ~ Oliver edition

We are back home and settled after a splendid weekend away camping with friends. We started the weekend off by strolling along Kinlock Beach which is dog friendly, and boy was it a beauty of an evening.

Saturday we headed for Green Park Provincial Park to spend the evening in a darling little cabin right on the water. This park was also dog friendly and Oliver had the best time ever. He spent every minute exploring and swimming. He chased sticks, swam, dug for crabs, rolled around in the sand, sniffed around, ate lots of mosquito and crashed come bedtime. 

Supper was delish and was followed by a big game of bocce ball and horseshoes. Later in the evening we all enjoyed a campfire while listening to the waves and admiring the beauty around us.

We woke early the next morning, had campfire breakfast, laid out and enjoyed the sun and water then headed home. It was mighty warm outside so we decided to stop in Summerside, grabbed some yummy grub from a food truck then ventured over to the Queen Elizabeth Ball field that was constructed for the Canada Games. It was a stunner of a facility, where three games were taking place. We were in no rush to get home so we took in the action. "Play ball".

Kinlock Beach, PEI  (Friday night stroll and dip)

Green Park Provincial Park  (entrance)

Red dog, red beach

"my happy place" 

View from our cabin

Admiring the beauty

"This place makes me Happy!"

Nature

Exploring before dinner

Our cabin "Breaker"

Bunk beds (bottom turns into a double)

Evening campfire

Early morning view

"Can I PLEASE go for another swim?"

At the ball game. 

Thanks for stopping by. We are trying to make the most of our summer and will be heading back to Green Park soon, I'm sure.

Erin

Summer Solstice weekend ~ 2015

It's known that June doesn't always bring about the nicest weather and 2015 is no exception here in the Maritimes. I feel like we are stuck in April/May with the cooler temperatures and rainy skies, but this past weekend the sun decided to make a nice warm appearance and Adam, Oliver and I, took advantage of the vitamin D.

We had planned on walking to the Farmers market, but ended up sitting on our deck and enjoying the rays while sipping on some fresh brew (coffee in Adam's case, and tea in mine). By the time we ventured out it was roughly 10am and decided to grab some grub and take a little hike along a trail in Stratford.

We did our "walk around" of the market, picked up some bacon/sausages for Adam and I decided on a veggie burrito (which was yummy). We stood outside and listened to some acoustic music before heading over to the trail. The atmosphere at a farmers market always brings a smile to my face. Although there are not a lot of fruits and vegetables being sold at the moment, I love witnessing the artisans and their crafts. There is such a wide range of creativity, from food, drink, art, music etc ... and each has its own unique appeal. *Below is a snidbit of the relaxed ambience.

Our venture to the trail was short lived! Oliver turned 4 earlier this month, and Adam and I continuously say that ever since he was about 3 1/2 he has really become obedient. We've never really had any issue with him in the past, but these last 6 months he can be walked without a leash and listens so well when outside. This behaviour has caused us to spend a lot more time outside jogging, playing fetch and putting around the yard. So needless to say he roamed freely on the trail. As soon as we arrived we were greeted by another dog and Oliver was off playing chase. No more than 3 minutes goes by and I can see Oliver 25 feet away, wading in a HUGE mud puddle. No amount of calling his name was bring him out of the black hole. While Adam and I tried our damnedest to lure Oliver out of the puddle, we were caught swearing and slapping the abundance of mosquitos itching to suck all our blood. Right then and there Adam and I knew this wasn't a good idea (all this rain causes mud puddles and insects prowling for fresh blood). We wanted to turn around but had one filthy dog on our hands, so we ran down the trial to a small river and with no hesitation Oliver went for a dip. 

(The water was clear before our boy entered!!!)

Oliver LOVES the water.

Our friends the Condon's live near the trail and we couldn't drive by without stopping in to see their new puppy, Coco. She is a Shorkie (Shih tzu/ Yorkie mix) and might weight 1.5 lbs. She was adorable and Adam and I fought on who was going to hold her. 

 Cuteness overload



After spending some quality time outside with Coco ... oh and our friends, Oliver had dried off some and it was time to head to the beach. We dropped Oliver off at home, picked up our buddy Ian and took off to Brackley Beach. It was a quick visit but fun none the less. We dipped our toes in the water, relaxed, played some Frisbee and Ian did a water colour painting.

On our way back to town we stopped at Jewell's Country Market and grabbed some ice-cream. We viewed their garden centre then enjoyed our treat outside while feeding the goats. 

Look at that fudge 

Later in the evening we decided we would go out for an early father's day supper (Adam is Ollie's daddy, right?!?) I'd heard some great things about Famous Peppers and it did not disappoint. We opted to eat in because the smell of the pizza was too tempting and we couldn't wait to take it home. It was so delicious, we pretty much ate in silence! 

My roasted red pepper pizza.

First bite .... actually it was my 4th. Couldn't wait to take the picture. 

Fun menu. Adam had the barbecue chicken pizza. 

It was a fun filled weekend shared with my boys. We were all pretty tired come bedtime but Adam and I managed to watch an episode of OITNB (Orange Is The New Black). 

Me fighting to stay awake...

Ollie just couldn't last!

I hope you all enjoyed the past weekend and are gearing up for Canada/ Independence Day celebrations.
Do you have anything planned?
We have friends visiting the city and will be camping with our "crew" later in the week.
 ** Crossing fingers for sun in July!!!


Cheers,
Erin