Isaac seeks solitude aka: 'no mom you can't come'

I have been sad this week, for no real reason, and when I woke up the other day, the laundry was going, the kitchen was clean and this was waiting for me on the kitchen table.  Chris does his own thing for the most part but when he sees that I have nothing left in the tank, he works hard to help me feel better.  It was very sweet.

And this kid said I couldn't come on his hike up the mountain with him cause "Solitude mom, solitude" .... sigh ... so Chris and I settled for watching him from the hottub ... we could see the little dot at the top of the mountain ....

When I asked him what he was thinking about today, he said one of his thoughts was "How far would I go for someone I loved?"  and the other question was "How far would I go for someone I hated?"  He sure is soaking everything in right now ... figuring himself out and what he stands for ... He has some pretty solid friends and leaders around him ... I am thankful for that.

Leaving Tofino - homeward bound!

Only one left behind for our morning hike along the beach this morning .... not a bad turnout!

Once we headed out at 9, we discovered about 45 minutes into the drive that the road out of Tofino was going to be closed until 11.  Not cool.  So we watched a movie on someones phone and ate chips for an hour and half ... It was a long ride home ....

Surf Day in Tofino !

When I was leaving for Tofino Sunday morning, Elliot had come home from the grocery store with a little cactus ... so it was fun to wake up monday to his drawing of his little friend!  He says the one in the middle is reeeeaaal mean and prickley ;-)

The nice thing about traveling with a bunch of other moms is that everyone just takes a job wordlessly (mostly) ... those who liked to cook, made a great breakfast, the others cleaned up and so on ... super nice.

It was time to get our gear and hit the surf - turns out the surf shop expected us to put ON the wetsuits to ensure they fit well ... so, since we all weren't ready for THAT, but there was no way we were taking these things off and then putting them back on ... we all had to go naked under our wetsuits .... there was also a running joke that Meighan would NEVER pee in her suit ... and it was the rest of us that thought it would, again, be so crazy to take OFF your suit only to put it back on wet (it's hard enough to put it on while you are dry!)

Hence .... I made a meme once I got home ....

Power surf shot ... it was fun ... and I couldn't believe that I wasn't cold at ALL!!  That is the only reason I have held back all these years from trying surfing ... now that I know, I am looking forward to going back.

Ah Nicole ... the athletic gazelle who caught on to surfing in a nano-minute.

And Lydia ... my partner in fear - neither of us were really eager to try this (fear of being cold, getting hurt .. the 2 top mother fears!) But we were both pretty happy we tried it!

It was windy and poured the day before, but the day we surfed, beauty day.

Lycrecia and I had just met, but since she was from Manitoba, we got on great.  She got out of the surf first because of a shoulder injury, and I was out next because I had 3 solid bonks and wanted to get out before a 4th one took me out.  So, we left the girls in the water and stole Nicoles van and went to Tofino for coffee and a walk around .... we laughed alot and enjoyed very expensive coffee ... even a thrift store find we thought Nicole would like....

I had taken off my ring and put it in the zippered pocket of my coat just before heading down to the water ... and I had forgotten about it when I reached in for the hotel key .... A few of us re-traced my steps for awhile and though we didn't find it, I just couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't supposed to be gone.  It was strange.  So I called the main desk and told them I was in room 40 if anyone found it.  A few hours later, everyone decided to go to Tofino to return the wetsuits and boards and grab Tacofino, but I was full and had just come back from Tofino so I stayed back to read and facetime with Gina ... it was while I was there that the phone rang and turns out someone found my ring on the path!

Once everyone was back, it was another game of scrabble, more wine and more laughs ... very nice day. 

Around 10 when people were heading to bed, I had a couple takers to come with me on a beach walk ...it was SO dark and the water was SO far out!  But at least we got a really nice picture of ourselves!

Girls trip to Tofino 2020!!

It was a long drive to Tofino ... stopped for groceries, coffee and lunch .... and finally arrived ... I was the sherpa to my new Winnipeg friend:

  First a walk on the beach and a hike to the point:

WINDY!!! Storm watching season in Tofino right now - so why not try to plan a surf trip? Lol

We almost all got blown off backwards in this photo.

Pictures don’t do it justice ... the ocean is no joke!  Some of these crazies want to get actually into the water tommorow! I’m just here for the food and the laughs.

Dinner at the Shed ... here we are outside with heaters on ...

It’s a toilet with a lot of luxurious buttons.  I never want to wipe myself again after I’ve been rinsed and dried.  I’ve been to the other side now!! How can I be expected to go back? Heated seat??? Yes please.

Mean game of scrabble -

And a perfect sleep mate who doesn't move all night and also appreciates a good sleep mask:

LTP Retreat 2020

It’s a weekend that Isaac has been looking forward to for months. I helped Shannon a little bit with planning while we were both in Peru, including finding her a cook. (I was also one of those helpers).  Elliot helped me make cookie slab squares .... it’s so nice when he leaves the front of his computer .... 

Our younger guys entertained themselves all weekend and would pop down for meals once in awhile but I think they all loved having their mothers fully busy so they could just play alot of video games. 

Isaac and his serious game of cheerio poker.  

The three token adults of the weekend. But only one of us was there overnight token adult to the 30 teenagers lol (the brave one in the middle wearing my hat)

Just needed to add the pasta!!!  Man it was good!!! I wish I had taken a picture of the final product!!

Shannon leading 30 teenagers in singing their prayer for their food and then making them sing it again with better jazz hands lol. Such a kick out of her ..... they happily do it too. 

Pretty fun group - isaac on the hoverboard.