We got out together this weekend...Started on Fri. Andy had the day off, so we took a bit of time to go climbing at the bluff at Hatzic Prairie. Yeah! That was fun. Have not been climbing in over a year. We took my mom to take care of Sarah. She had fun too - my mom and Sarah too. We climbed the best climb (in my range) 3 times in a row and then left. It's a small climbing area - not many options unless you are super good. Some of the tougher climbs there we've tried and it will take a while for me to get up to that level again...but boy was it fun climbing.
Sat. we drove with Mom and Dad A, in seperate cars, to Whistler and hiked to Cheakamus
Lake. Andy carried Sarah and she took a nap on his back. It was Andy's first time using the Ergo Carrier. It worked pretty good for him. The walk was nice and it didn't rain on us (well, just a tinsy bit at the end but we had umbrellas), which was also a plus. Dad and Mom A knew the names of what seemd like most of the plants and flowers on the hike. The roughest part about that hike was the pot-hole filled 7 km road to get to the trailhead. I started that road a little car-sick cause I had just previously been in the back seat feeding Sarah solid foods. After the hike we went to the spaghetti factory for dinner. No place to change Sarah in the bathroom (and I didn't want to put her on the floor), so I changed here on one of those dolly luggage carriers they have at hotels. There were some in the hallway leading to the restaurant.
Andy's folk's headed home and we went to our accomodations - which were arranged through a friend of a friend who got a super deal through her work.
I loved the place. It's a lodge (built in 1966) built up on this hillside that overlooks Alta Lake way down below. It's totally tucked away and in the winter you have to walk down to it. There lots of rooms, each complete with bunkbeds, a chair, fold out desk, a lamp, some hangers - very simple. The caretaker (from Prague) showed us where our friends were staying (it was Keela and some of her friends) and said we'd probably want to stay with them, but we said we wanted a quiet spot...so he showed us a really secluded spot in the basement...another row of rooms. Andy and I were just able to fit the two bunkbed mattresses on the floor of our room and Sarah was in the next room in her playpen. Worked just great...and it was so quiet. Quieter than our house. No phone or fridge humming, footsteps. The kitchen to the place was 'super-equipted' with 6 or so islands complete with sinks, dishes, mugs, candleholders...there were 4 stoves, 5 full sized fridges. The main eating area had great big window with a view to the mountains - would have been incredible if it wasn't so socked in.
Sun. morning it was rainy so Andy changed his hike from a big one to a small one and I dropped him off and headed to church. Driving on that pot-holed road reminded me of the driving I did at
camp last summer - fun. I didn't have time to go back to the lodge before church (which I thought I would), so I went straight to church. I hadn't brought anything for Sarah (nothing - no diapers, toys, extra change clothes) and I needed to change her (just pee, yeah:) So, I was wearing 2 shirts, and I had a wet cloth diaper and diaper cover from home, so I turned my under layer cotton shirt into a diaper...yup...I found an out-of-the-way corner of the church (community centre) and changed my shirt and gave Sarah a new dry bum-wrap.
The coolest part about church was that I was able to connect with a friend that I hadn't seen or talked to in years. I really appreciated her and how she really listened and I really felt I could be myself with her...it's not like that with me with many people. She is so genuine. The sermon (which I heard bits and pieces of) asked some good questions to - "do you like who you are becoming?" and "we must be willing to lose our percieved value," and "Are you living in the trap of what others think of you?"
Andy started a first aid course this week in Vancouver so is gone from the house for almost 12 hours. I'm doing more stuff at home (meals, lunches) and so far it's working pretty good.
Oh, we got a jogging stroller!...through the gear swap at MEC. It works good - tried it out today. I'm thankful for it.
Last night I had lots of energy still after I put Sarah to bed so I thought I'd go for a little bike ride...but I couldn't find my front light, so I ran around in the back yard...around the perimeter, then across and back again - covering all the grass...then that got boring, so some dancing. It was fun excerising in the moonlight.
Tired play time:
Oh, today Sarah got down to her nap a little late so it was hard to put her down...so at one point I took her out of her pack n' play to play some more in the living room. She is sitting there surrounded by her toys which are in a semi-circle about a foot and a half away from her. She looks over at her monkey and then to Mr. Penguin, then back to the monkey...reaches out to the monkey. It was as if she was contemplated who to go for. 'But they are all so far away.' She grabs her shirt - something right there - then looks at the monkey again...grabs the shirt again, loses her balance and falls right over backwards on banging her head. I was sure she'd cry because she was so tired, but no, it's no prob. She rolls over and finds a flower petal on the floor. She hasn't quite got the pincer grasp yet, but I'll need to vaccum more once she does. She points at things with her pointer finger though...like the hinges on our window seat. Yup, Sarah approved...those are good hinges Daddy, good job.