Island holiday in brief . . .

Holidays are great, holidays are fun.  Holidays are for everyone.  Maybe not the faint of heart.  My general theory of packing is to make sure I have enough because I really don't want to have to do laundry while we are holiday-ing.  The last thing I want to be doing is looking for and sitting in a laundromat.  It never fails that I end up packing way too much.  Jim is pretty simple.  It grosses me out, but I guess it's a guy thing.

We spent a day walking around the harbour in Victoria and took one of the harbour taxis across and back to the popular fish and chips shop.  A full day at the Royal BC Museum.  Part of day three traveling to Parksville and then hanging out with the critters at Little Qualicum Cheeseworks Farm.  Two days (full days at seven plus hours) on Rathtrevor beach.  And one day hiking around Little Qualicum Falls and exploring Coombs Market (the place with the goats on the roof).

That was the simplified version of our holiday.  I found myself watching my kids and thinking about all the times we visited the island with my family.  And about my honeymoon.  We spent time in Tofino, Ucluelet, Parksville, and Victoria almost eight years ago.  Watching my kids in their excitement makes the sleepless nights and early mornings so worth it.  Seeing their joy when they come across a shell or a sand dollar.  Watching deer walk across the motel parking lot.  All the different coloured moths and butterflies. S macking a beach ball around the pool.  Each of them flying their kites, tyring to see whose was higher.

At one point on the beach, Ava and Ella had dug a small lagoon.  Ava laid down in it quite proudly.  When she got up, she said to me, “mommy, where is the sand?”  My response was, “where isn't the sand?”

I think the funniest thing was when we arrived back on the mainland.  We were about 15 minutes out from the ferry terminals.  I turned around to check the kids.  All three were asleep - heads lolling, drool running, and itty-bitty snores emanating from the back seats.  I guess they were about as tired as I am feeling.

I am feeling so grateful for our time away and so grateful to also be home again.  I'm always glad for the opportunity to get away and just be together with my family without having to do all of the everyday household tasks.  However, it's nice to be sleeping in my own bed and knowing that I will be waking up in the morning at home.  It's almost like my body is sighing with bliss right now.