Monday, February 22, 2010

# 19 - See a Whale in the Wild

I am serious about my ten-year plan, I may not get to do all the traveling that I want to, but I am going to diligently try to do everything on that list!

So as I was planning our Vancouver Island trip I noticed several Whale Watching Adventure Tours, particularly on the Pacific rim of the Island out of Tofino and Ucluelet. As I was reading I found out that from early February to the end of April, approximately 20,000 gray whales migrate along the western coast of the Island. Being that spring is not peak tourist season, I was able to find many discounts and specials at a completely affordable rate.

I am having a hard time narrowing down all I want to see and do on the Island, but a whale watching tour has made the final list!!

Christine

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Vancouver Island

We are going to Vancouver Island over spring break this year. We have a friend who has a vacation house in Campbell River who has graciously offered to let us use it so we will be packing up and driving the 16 plus hours to spend a glorious week on the Island.

My husband has driven out a few times (he has family in Vancouver) with the boys, but Tia has never been, and I have not been out since 1997. Wow, that was a long time ago!

I have never much cared for the city of Vancouver (sorry all those from there!), too much traffic, too big and it definitely encroached on my space issues - but the Island was another story. I loved it there! My husband and boys spent two weeks in Campbell River in August and my son Jesse fell hard. He phoned me and said that he felt that he belonged there, like it was part of him and that he never wanted to leave. He was ready to leave all things in Alberta behind and move.

My husband, knowing our love for the Island, is a wee bit concerned that Jesse and I will revolt at the end of our trip and refuse to come home, so he is currently working on updating his resume, researching local airports, and planning appointments with possible employers - but also storing extra ropes in the trunk in case he needs to take Jesse and I back to Alberta by force!

He knows that Jesse and I want to move, and being the good husband that he is, and wanting to make us happy, he is attempting to find work on the Island - not easy for a pilot without a float endorsement. But who knows, maybe at the end of 10 days the only reason we will be coming back to Alberta is to put our house on the market and pack!

I am currently planning out our trip - trying to pack as much sightseeing and fun into that week as possible! If anyone has any suggestions of "must see/do" activities I am all ears!

Blessings,
Christine

Why Learn To Sign??

Have you ever been in a crowded place with someone across the room that you are trying to communicate with? Maybe doing silly hand signals or mouthing the words real slow in hopes that they can figure out what you are saying and you have a stupid expression on your face because you have no idea what they are saying? Maybe it is just me, but this seems to happen a lot to me. I have always wanted to be able to speak to my children without shouting over noise or making hand jesters that only gets me confused looks. Sometimes though, I want to be able to give a command - like "enough" - that my children know, but that I am not expressing to all those around us.

Who will I sign too then? Mainly my daughter; Tia has been practicing her sign from kindergarten. She is naturally gifted at it and able to retain a lot of it, even though she is not using it much anymore. Sign got introduced to her because of some students in her class that had hearing difficulties and the teachers throughout the years have always seemed to incorporate sign to varying degrees throughout the years. I think that this is a good skill for her to have and I am afraid she will loose it if she does not have anyone to sign to. The college in our city offers two sign classes on a regular basis and right now I am watching for the spring/summer courses to come out to see if they are offering the beginners course over the summer, as that is when I have the most time to schedule something for me.

Have a great day,
Christine