Wednesday, July 21, 2010

#19 - take B to the water park in Stanley Park

We had another stunning day in the lower mainland last Sunday and we took the opportunity to visit some of our favourite spots in Stanley Park:  the Aquarium, Beaver Lake and the kiddie water park.  It was B's first visit and he loved it (although we did have an incident where he got sprayed in the ear which he wasn't so thrilled with).  The water was freezing, but we like to call it "refreshing" on such a hot day!

If you're looking for a fun, free activity with small kids I would definitely recommend this one (though you'll need to pay for parking).  The location is great - beautiful views of the North Shore mountains and close to oodles of lush green lawn space to have a rest or a family picnic.  I'm sure we'll return again.

Life List

I've been thinking a lot lately of what I want to do in life and where I want to be. I find it so easy to get lost in the every day details; dishes, laundry, diapers etc. So, I've decided to make a sort of bucket list (or what have you) as a way to motivate myself to greatness and hold myself accountable.

I started the list a couple weeks ago, and it began as a list of things I wanted to accomplish this summer ( the first 20 items).  Now it has evolved to more of a "things I want to accomplish period" list.  Here is the first draft (as I'm sure it will be a work in progress):



life list
  1. go canoeing
  2. climb the chief with the family
  3. BBQ kebobs - completed July 30th for mom's birthday
  4. ride my bike  - completed June 2011.  
  5. relax in a hammockcompleted July 20th with B
  6. swim in a lake
  7. go sailing
  8. eat fresh Ontario peaches
  9. sleep in a tent/go camping - june 2011
  10. have a campfire
  11. sit on a dock in the sunshine
  12. go to the cottage - completed July 27th through August 4th
  13. go back to yoga class
  14. see M & V
  15. go watch the kite boarders
  16. visit Lost Lake in Whistler - completed July 11th
  17. drink lemonade
  18. have a lobster dinner - completed July 24th
  19. take B to the free water park in Stanley Park - completed July 18th
  20. walk along the seawall
  21. create a beautiful home for our family
  22. paint our living area (we've chosen the colour... now we just need to get started)
  23. meditate and clear my mind for 5 minutes
  24. go canoeing at dawn
  25. have our family portraits taken by Emily
  26. cat nap in the sun completed
  27. do yoga on the dock at the cottage 
  28. move our bedroom downstairs/paint bedroom - create a soothing, romantic sanctuary
  29. buy really cute girly shoes
  30. take an acoustic guitar lesson
  31. take time to listen to my inner voice
  32. have a potluck picnic with friends in a park
  33. go back to the beach where we were married
  34. buy a deep-freezer 
  35. bake cookies for our neighbours at Christmastime
  36. bake bread from scratch
  37. go to the movies by myself - completed: went to see Eclipse
  38. make a new friend
  39. go skiing with B
  40. swim in the ocean
  41. teach someone how to crochet or knit
  42. roadtrip/camping trip along the Oregon Coast
  43. hug a tree in Redwood National Park, California
  44. Visit Forks, Washington
  45. get a Kitchenaid stand mixer
  46. make homemade pasta
  47. clean out my wardrobe and donate any clothes I don't love
  48. go on a bicycle tour in France
  49. shop at an Anthropologie store and buy a cute flirty dress completed
  50. wear aforementioned dress out to dinner with hubby
  51. remodel our kitchen
  52. live in the country
  53. take a bath in a claw foot tub
  54. visit the Vancouver Art Gallery
  55. learn to say "I love you" in 10 languages
  56. ride a roller coaster
  57. go see the Cirque du Soleil
  58. spend a night in a castle
  59. read 100 books over the next 5 years (started July 21st, 2010)
  60. bake a pie from scratch
  61. eat a croissant in a french cafe
  62. teach the boys to speak french
  63. pretend we've had a power outage for an evening
  64. go a whole day without speaking
  65. own waterfront property
  66. kayak in the ocean
  67. compete in a race event (running or biking)
  68. live debt free
  69. attend a weekend yoga retreat
  70. go to Saltspring Island
  71. finish the quilt I've started
  72. spend an entire day in bed
  73. make photo books of the boys childhood
  74. bury someone in the sand
  75. start a blog and update at least 4 times a month for a year (started July 21st, 2010)
  76. learn to take better photographs
  77. start our own business  - opened my own at-home daycare
  78. take an accounting/bookkeeping course
  79. take a dance class
  80. own a boat (preferably a sailboat)
  81. write a book
  82. get my book published
  83. volunteer in my community
  84. go hiking/walking in Scotland
  85. resurrect the vegetable garden spring/summer 2011
  86. try rock climbing
  87. visit the tiny French Village our family comes from
  88. visit and soak in a hot spring
  89. take the boys to Hawaii
  90. build a playhouse in the backyard
  91. read all the Harry Potter books to the boys (when they're old enough to enjoy them)
  92. learn how to successfully build a fire in our wood stove
  93. attend a taping of the Martha Stewart show with my Mom
  94. try one new recipe every week for a year
  95. take a Spanish language course
  96. swim 10 consecutive lengths of the pool
  97. take B to his first Vancouver Canucks game