This Is Life

There has been so much silence this year, and I say it every time I post, but it is so true. I feel like I have been at odds about my blogging. I still love it and I love the inspiration that I get from other's blogs, however recently I have just enjoyed focused on being present each day to do things with Halle. To be out in the real world exploring and making memories with this little family.

Most recently, we took a little family "staycation" and enjoyed some time on Vancouver Island. We spent a few days in Nanaimo, broken up by a camping trip to Juan de Fuca Provincial Park. One of the benefits of living in BC is being surrounded by so much natural beauty. There is always something to explore and discover, and we are so happy to just disconnect and be outside with Halle. Here are a few photos from our recent travels here on the West Coast...

We started off with a few days in Nanaimo, eating yummy food, exploring and playing.

A sunset ferry ride to the Island, with a view of Mt. Baker.

H and I loved walking along the waterfront trail in Nanaimo. There were tons of boats and geese to look at, and the best part was watching all of the float planes landing and taking off.

Once we left Nanaimo, we drove towards Victoria and on the way we stopped at a pretty fantastic winery. Tried a bunch of delicious wines and came home with a bottle as well.

Our camping location was at Juan de Fuca Provincial Park. A beautiful area, made even better by nearby China Beach. The beach was only a 1km hike from our campsite, and we visited a few times. The best was on our first evening there. We headed to the beach for a little while before the rest of our friends arrived. It was absolutely beautiful and we had the whole place to ourselves...

We spent the next full day swimming, splashing and playing in the Sooke River.

On Sunday, we spent the day hiking around and exploring at Botanical Beach. What an incredible place to be when the tide is out. All of the rock formations you can climb and walk around on, and the sea life you can spot in the little tide pools. We all loved it!

After a few nights away camping, it was nice to return to a hotel in Nanaimo and take a hot shower again. Best.shower.EVER! The remainder of our time on the island was low key, lots of walking around and hitting the park and waterfront trail again. We also did a little fishing at a small pond, which was a lovely evening activity.

Have you been off exploring recently? Taken any trips far or near? I'd love to hear where you've been and tips on what to see and do! We're always on the look out for new travel destinations. Feel free to share any summer travel blog posts in the comment section!