1. Women's Retreat. Last weekend our church hosted a Women's Retreat at Timberline Ranch. I was a little unsure about signing up, but then a bunch of my friends did, Dave encouraged me to, and I realized I'd get a weekend with no cooking or being asked for snacks haha! I carpooled with Ashley and we got there around 730pm on Friday night. The first night we played an ice breaker game and then some intense Dutch Blitz. Saturday there were a couple sessions with our guest speaker Joy on rest, burdens, etc. She did really well and it was just interactive enough haha. (Speaking as someone who does not typically like audience participation).
We did horseback riding (which was not worth the extra money. Next year hopefully they'll do more of a trail ride), but I did get the biggest horse which excited me! We also had a one hour slot dedicated to rest & solitude. SIGN ME UP! I was very ready for a breather by that point and quite enjoyed that hour. In the evening after dinner Alycia forced some of us into some team bonding exercises in the back of the property and wow. Haven't laughed that hard in a LONG time. From there we went inside for a large minute-to-win-it game that Steph & Desiree planned. It was brilliant and absolutely hilarious. I got the Oreo challenge where you have to get it from your forehead to your mouth without using your hands and by some miracle I won. It kind of launched off my cheek and I somehow caught it in my mouth. A highlight for sure haha. We also played flip cup which was hilarious.
We stayed until after lunch on Sunday and then I was ready to go home. I didn't think I was feeling very refreshed, being an introvert, but I came home much less burnt out for the kids. I was excited to see them and cuddle them!
2. Aunty Lasagna. Last Friday Aunty Sonya offered me a break. I'll take it! She came in the morning and brought the girls to the museum for some play time, then to McDonald's for a special lunch. She watched Lion King and coloured with Emilia while I did some worth upstairs and stuck around into the afternoon. Emilia was absolutely relishing in the attention. Her bucket was so full! I also got some shopping done in the morning which was a luxury!
3. Forest Storytime. Scott invited Jeff & I to a storytime at a south Langley forest preschool on Tuesday. I had nothing better going on, so off we went! They did a little storytime and songs in a grassy area and then we did a nature walk through the forest. Eva was living her BEST LIFE. By the end, most of the other kids were whining, wanting to be carried, etc. Eva was still skipping and dancing around the forest with energy to spare.
4. Spring Dinners! It is FINALLY feeling like spring! Everyone around here understands, but I cannot express how necessary this nicer weather is. It has been over 6 months since we've seen temps over 20 degrees. And most of Jan-April has been miserable. Tuesday evening Jeff invited us over for dinner and we made tacos. It was reminiscent of last summer when all us ladies were on mat leave spending time in their backyard.
And finally, some more pictures from the week :)
Some of which were sent by Dave when I was away
