Vancouver with Friends... and a baby!

I am writing this blog post with a full heart.

Kelly, Trisha and I have been friends for... oh about 18 years to be exact.  Holy smokes I just did that math and it doesn't seem right - that is a long time!  I met these two in the fall of my first year of university and right from the start we became fast buddies.  Kelly and Trish were best friends from high school and they just scooped me into their friendship and away we went.  Those university years were fun, fuzzy and adventurous... we had many crazy times... too many to count.  All I can say is that a girl couldn't have better friends during those university years!

Kelly, myself, Trish - our first selfie!

After we graduated, we all went our separate ways.  Kelly got married (Trish and I were in her wedding party) soon after we graduated and settled in southern Ontario, Trish went to Teachers' College and then traveled the world ending up in Vancouver and I went to Teacher's College and then moved to the Ottawa Valley with my university sweetheart.  Needless to say, we live very far from each other now but over the years we have tried to meet up periodically.

Trish and her husband, Randy, had their first baby last June so it became the perfect opportunity for Kelly and I to take a trip to Vancouver to see them all... and provide Trish with out parental wisdom of course.
I am just home and had a fantastic time.

Helen is 5 months old now and such a sweet little baby.  Motherhood had come so naturally to Trish... I am so happy for her.  Helen is the apple of her daddy's eye.  They are such a happy little family and I loved being able to spend time with all of them.

Trish and Helen were our official tour guides for Vancouver and area.  Helen loves taking public transit and being in her carrier.  She does not like driving in vehicles for very long.  We took it all in stride and saw as much as we possibly could!  Trish knows the transit system really well so we got to really see most of Vancouver.

The day after I arrived in Vancouver, I met up with some family that we don't see very often.  Melissa (Ian's cousin) lives in Vancouver with her partner, Bill, and they are expecting their first baby very soon.  Her nieces, Montana and Paisley, were visiting her for the weekend so I got to spend some time with them all for a nice morning having brunch.

I arrived a day before Kelly so Trish and I walked around downtown, had gelato and I saw some of the Olympic Village.
After Kelly arrived we went to Stanley Park (by train and bus) and walked around the park and sea wall.  It was a beautiful day - perfect for walking.  We saw a coyote really close, the Vancouver Aquarium, walked along the sea wall and saw totem poles.  Once we returned to their home, Randy made us a delicious supper.  It was a great start to our trip.

On the second day we drove to Squamish (1 hour drive) to meet up with a cousin of ours to tour herbeautiful store.  She sells many locally produced items along with really nice gift ware, an indoor pumpkin patch, and other small stores including a coffee shop.  It has been open 2 1/2 years and Natalie has done very well with her dream for this store.

On our way back to Vancouver we stopped at Shannon Falls and went for a small walk.   I was in awe with how beautiful the BC forest is - so different than here in Ontario.  The trees are very very tall and there is so much moss covering everything.  The forests are magical... or they seem that way!

No trip is complete for me without finding a farmers' market.  I was really excited about going to Granville Island!  We took the train and a bus to this part of Vancouver.  It was a rainy day so our first stop was the Umbrella Shop.  Only in Vancouver!  This was actually quite comical - the store clerk was very knowledgeable about umbrellas and I realized that I didn't know there was so much to know about these useful tools!

We had lunch in the indoor market (fish and chips - so good!) and then wandered around.  The produce was amazing!

Amidst the market, boutiques and Emily Carr University (all part of Granville Island) there is a cement plant but even it was creatively decorated.

We left Granville Island with treats, presents for our children and SALMON.  Both Kelly and I bought a whole salmon to take back home with us!

Our last day of touring Vancouver started with a trip to the Dutch Wooden Shoe Cafe... it was like taking a trip back to my childhood.  The food was delicious!

After our huge meal we toured the Cambie Road area, where Trish and Randy used to live.  Then we headed to Trish's favourite gelato shop, which has 218 flavours of which some we could sample.  Not only did we see many sights in Vancouver but we had many types of food as well - it was like we were on a foodie vacation!  I loved it.

We then drove to a suspension bridge in North Vancouver and went for a much-needed hike, especially after all that amazing food!  I am not a fan of heights or suspension bridges but I made it across...twice.  Again, the scenery was beautiful.

By that evening we were tired.  We stayed at home for supper and had greek food delivered.  It was really good and then went to bed early to be up early for our flight back to Ontario.

My trip to Vancouver was perfect!  I am so happy I went and coming home was really wonderful.  I got many hugs and kisses when I saw my children and husband.  I hope Trisha, Kelly and I can plan another vacation together in the next few years again.