Beautiful Thursday off!!!

No work! Sun is out! Coffee with Nikki, dropping off chicken soup and cough drops for my sick sis in law,

.....and booking the hotel for the upcoming Times Colonist 10k in April with Nicole!! (So many nearby hotels were sold out!! Should have booked when we registered for the run!).  But we took the risk with Hotwire and got a sweet hotel just down the block from the starting line for $92!

Today was interval training.... And my legs were too sore from yesterday's workout so I didn't do the stairs this morning with Nikki as planned (coffee enstead!).... But I picked up the boys and armed them with the interval app on my phone and had them time me.  They are such great cheerleaders!!  Couldn't have finished without them!

All done!! Love Elliot's face and please note isaacs self-bunny ears....

Isaac and his sneaky selfies!!

On the upswing!!!

Looks like all the Lodge rooms are full now for the retreat! So this was the picture I put up on the WOA Facebook page! Cabins and RVs are still available as options!!

What a beautiful day today. Summer is around the corner. 

Auxanos came by tonight for a hot tub to help celebrate Steph's birthday.

Today was the first time in almost 3 weeks that I felt normal. 

Back down .... Again.

It was a wonderful day. No nap needed, pain free from any residual pink eye or throat pain, and tonight, I can barely swallow again.  It's getting progressively worse as the night wears on. 

It's been two weeks yesterday that I've been sick!! Two weeks!!!  Today was so lovely- no pain, sun on my face kind of lovely.  And I just got up to take a pill to help me sleep with this pain.  Such a miserable bug .... Miserable!!!!

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It's morning now and this is pain like no other version this month.  Guess I'll check out if it's strep today. That'd be fun. 

My little mountain hiker through the years!!!!

Photo booths have great lighting!!!

Easter at Burdges 2016

The sun came out!!! And Jenny and Marg spoiled all the boys with candy and bubbles! No pencils this year! :-)

Oh the love!!!

Here is Trent showing some attention to chris and his metal detector! I think it was the highlight of Chris's day! Lol

Boys with their spoils!!!

Right before this picture, rach turns to me and says 'you didn't say there'd be a hill!!!'..... I said 'yeah, I left that out on deliberately!' Lol

Beach exploring!!

Fun shots from Gussie and Scotts wedding ...

Easter Sunday ....

Still healing, still have a cough but my eye is better ... Both boys seem great so we're on the upswing!

I am prepping for my 'Healthy Role models' (hrm) challenge that is 12 weeks long and starts tommorow!!  I've got my binder ready with all the info, skipping rope, step up, elastic and yoga ball, protein balls made, clean eating banana muffins done, veggies cut and ready .... The goal? Get lean and get stronger. I am part of a group of friends .... We are ready to lug each other through this. 

But for tonight?  Jamie Oliver's pasta!!! I made the mistake of watching him make this and it didn't disappoint!  Fennel, balsamic, turkey, tomatoes.... It rocked!!

Chia seed and date chocolate pudding for dessert later .... The kids had new pancakes this morning and did fine: 1/2c oats, 1/2c cottage cheese and 3 eggs .... Cooked in coconut oil with some blueberries .... They ate them no complaints. So.... This is how we are trying to go the next 12 weeks .... Clean eating and a few weekly workouts ... Doable. 

After dinner tonight we did the hike across the street. 

At the end of the hike, Chris found these: 

Time for a little after dinner snack!! 

Loved this...

And this also resonated with me today too:

Gussies Wedding Day!!

As my dad would say, "she's getting all gussied up!!!"

Boys are spending this sunny day at grandmas house!! She said there will be a burn pile so that's always fun.  Elliot has been full of beans this morning, I think he's pretty excited. 

As for Chris and I, it's another hour down to Sidney for 11am and then back up to Mill Bay for the 5 o'clock reception. Lots of driving today!!  But I'm happy to see this girl marry a man she loves. Chris is worried they will have one of those long 'sermon-type' ceremonies!! Lol. He wishes he was metal detecting!!

The ceremony was sweet ....

After the ceremony we met Brett and Meg for lunch .... So nice as it had been awhile. She is due next weekend with their first baby girl!  I wanted to take a picture but she's so self conscious of herself right now so I put the phone away. But she looks beautiful !  It was nice to be together again, we sure love them both. At one point, Brett said they've been going through Burdge withdrawal. Lol. Nice friends. 

Turns out we were part of a very small group that was invited to the evening reception at Merridale Cider!! 

We sat with the Rentons and the Yues ... Very nice families .... There were some long speeches and some funny ones ... Food was fresh and cooked in the wood fire oven - roasted chicken, potatoes and salads ... Simple and good.  After dinner and dessert and speeches, suddenly an announcement that they were making poutine in the wood fire oven!!! Happy faces hey?

Gussie and Scott about to use our cake knife to cut their wedding cake!! I wish I'd kept track of everyone who has used our knife!!! So many marriages!!!

Then there was dancing and Chris did dance a short slow dance with me. Paul caught it on camera as proof!  Nice face hey?

We picked up some happy kids from Marg and Gordon's just after 9 ... We are lucky to have family nearby. They had a good day burning stuff in the yard and hanging out with their grandparents. 

Healthy enough for a family walk tonight ....

Finally!!!   We all got out tonight and it was nice. 

Always stilts ....

We love that they still eagerly ask to play on the playground!!

0ur little town has some pretty creative things in their yard....

Finally a nice evening .... So welcomed after the last few weeks of feeling so rotten.

And spring break sickness continues....

I think I'm on the mend?  I'm not coughing like a maniac anymore but I'm still awake at 4:30 unable to open my left eye....stupid pink eye!!!!!

Elliot is up having a bath....

Chris is up watching American Pickers because that's what you do when the rest of your family is awake...

Oh yeah, and Isaac just informed me he can't open one of his eyes.... So pink eye has managed to jump to its next victim.  No light at the end of this tunnel yet.  

Mom preps to leave ....

So after our morning hottub and one of her morning smoothies, mom made a huge pot of stew for chicken pot pie!!

Isaac and I watched her organize the cupboards and the fridge:

It was so good having her here .... It's been awhile since I've been this sick.... So it's been a major reprieve!

She and dad left before lunch on Wednesday.  We had a second turkey dinner ready for tonight's dinner, so I went back to bed for the afternoon. She cleaned up and had everything organized before she left which was so great.  Nothing like some extra help when you are so sick!!  Isaac and Elliot were both sick by this point..... I think they left just in time. I'm still nursing a wicked spell of pink eye, day 4....and Isaac and Elliot are struggling to get over their colds!!  I guess it's a gift to be able to stay home and rest and heal?

Pretty excited for healthier days ahead!!! We have a long awaited wedding and an Easter egg hunt this weekend that we all want to be healthy for!!