Carriage Hills

I'm not sure when during the week it occurred to me, but at some point it occurred to me that as a family, we'd never gone away for a week just us. We're always visiting family, and I love, love, love my family, but it was so nice to be just us for a week. We had such a great week.

Last summer my Mom asked me if we wanted a week at Carriage Hills. I didn't think Ken would want to, but he said yes, he'd like that, he would take a week off work and we could have fun doing stuff! At some point my aunt and uncle from Utah we planning to come visit us in August, so we were going to go with them, but then they changed they're plans and it was just us. Mom came up the first night, checked us in, brought the girls so Ken and I could go to the temple, and stayed overnight and came to church with us. And then it was just us.

Saturday
We met Mom at the temple and she and the girls went to Barrie for lunch and then on to the resort. They got there before check-in and so they hung out - good thing for a picnic shelter so they didn't get hailed on! Mom took them for ice cream at Horse Shoe, and then we all met up, got settled in the rooms, got groceries and that was Saturday!

Sunday
We didn't really debate, as I having gone back and forth about it, decided that I really wanted to go to church in Barrie to see our friends. I thought that we were closer to Orillia, but when I'd mapped it all out I discovered that Carriage Hills was smack in the middle. So off to Barrie we went. Well, it was a very good thing that we went to Barrie. We arrived a few minutes early and it was packed - we ended up near the back in metal chairs, because it was Stake Conference!

Poor Ken and Mom, neither of them were happy campers. Ken's back has been really out of sorts, he thinks he's got a pinched nerve again. The girls weren't happy - they'd been looking forward to going to primary to see if they remembered anyone, and if anyone remembered them. We did see the Sherlocks after the meeting and made plans with them, and we saw a few other friends. Stake Conference really is a meeting that is meant for the stake. I enjoyed the messages, but I did feel a disconnect, not being a member of the stake - maybe that was just me!

I took a fun pic of Fiona on the wall that we used to take pictures by, when we attended church as part of Cookstown ward. I wish I'd tried to recreate the photo... another time I guess!

On the way to church I noticed a historic site, and I stopped on the way back - quickly. I hopped out of the car and took a bunch of pictures. I had no idea about this history, so cool!

We went back to the resort and had lunch, and then we went on a little walk. Fiona stood up in the window and I thought it was a fun pic!

After the walk Mom packed up her stuff and set off for home. We took the girls swimming. Alice made a friend and went and met her at the park later on. We looked over the week's itinerary and the girls thought about the things they wanted to do at the resort, and Ken and I thought about the things we wanted to do around the resort. Our first full day was good!

Monday
Today we drove to Midland and went to Sainte-Marie Among the Hurons. We last went in 2014 with the whole Bacon Clan. I thought about Dad a lot today as we walked around. We went to a bunch of the demonstrations and generally learned lots and had a great time. We spent several hours. I can't remember what time we finally left, but we really had a great time!

I did re-create this photo. Alice 2019/2014!

Ken found a fun pizza place for us to go have a late lunch. Late lunch as in we had the restaurant to ourselves! The place was called Pie. I didn't love the pizza we had - the flavour was missing something, I didn't love the sauce, but the crust was amazing. Oh well, everyone else LOVED it!

After lunch we drove down to the water. I wanted a pic of the girls in front of the amazing mural, but the sun was in the wrong place and you couldn't see the mural! From there we walked over to a park and played for a bit. The girls were a little cranky? The park visit was not without tears, but they pulled it together in the end and let me take some cute pics of them in the grass.

We went to a Foodland before we left Midland and then made our way back to the resort.

Tuesday
Today was a resort day. The girls really wanted to participate in the pirate fun. We swam, we ate lunch, we swam some more. The girls got dressed up like pirates, had an awesome water balloon fight! It was really cute.

Alice also made a pool noodle craft with her new friend Charlotte. I enjoyed talking to Charlotte's parents and her big brother. We were going to go swimming but it rained so Charlotte and Alice played some video games, then Alice and I played pool.

Tuesday night we decided to go into Barrie and see a movie. I seemed to be directionally challenged, even though Ken was giving me directions, and we took the long way, but we made it. We went to see the latest Spiderman film, Far From Home. It was great. We all really enjoyed it. Driving home there was sheet lightening. It was incredible. It reminded me of an experience driving from St. Catherine's to Niagara-on-the-Lake years ago. The sky was lit up. It was really neat.

Wednesday
Wednesday was mostly a quiet day. The girls watched some tv and played in the unit. They amused themselves for a long time. The one thing that they desperately wanted to do on the resort kids itinerary was decorate cookies, so we did. Alice and Fiona also participated in an obstacle course.

After having such a lazy day we were all in slow motion. We eventually made our way to the Sherlock's home. The girls swam in the pool with Gordon. Matt bbq'd and we all had a lovely visit. It was so lovely to visit with Matt and Emma, and Gordon was so sweet with the girls, and our girls loved their dog!

Thursday
I can't remember what we were originally going to do today, or rather, I can't remember when we actually thought seriously about going to Santa's Village, but we decided to go! The drive was about an hour. (We've been loving listening to the "How to Train Your Dragon" series!) When we got there Ken and I were concerned because the first two parking lots were completely full. We eventually found a parking space and made our way in.

It was a perfect place for our girls. They love rides, but what they love are little kid rides. They're not thrill seekers so the theme park being geared to the twelve and under crowd was perfect! The crowds weren't too bad either. We waited in line, but never too long. The longest wait was the boat ride, and Ken took one for the team and did most of the waiting for us!

The best part of my day was Kate going on Rudolph's Roller Coaster. Alice, Fiona and I went on it first and it really wasn't too bad, so we told Kate to come on with us. She was fine in line until she wasn't and by the time we got to the ride she had worked herself up into a bit of a state, but I put her in the ride and locked her in and then we went, and she was fine, and then she realized she really liked it, and then she was so proud of herself for facing a fear, and I was so proud of her, and then we went on the ride again and the rest of the day she was so ready and willing to go on everything!

Sad Kate - before the first ride.

Excited Kate - before the second ride.

After one last ride on Rudolph's Roller Coaster with my adorable little elves we drove to Gravenhurst to one of the girls' favourite restaurants, Boston Pizza. This is perhaps the prettiest Boston Pizza out there. Our table right by the water was spectacular, until it got a little breezy! I went to the van and got the girls' sweaters and then it was a little better! There was a really cute little ice cream place nearby but everyone's belly was much too full for that so we drove back to Carriage Hills.

Friday
We knew we wanted to go on a boat cruise but we weren't sure which one. There were several in the area but none seemed quite right - two hours here, three hours there, until I found one out of Orillia for families that was an hour - there was even a discount for the kids! It ended up being the perfect length. The girls enjoyed it immensely, we all did! It being an hour we didn't go very far, but we did get pretty views of Lake Couchiching.

After the boat cruise we went to lunch and then to the park. There was a piano along the boardwalk and when we were walking by an older gentleman was playing the hymn "It is Well With My Soul".  The park was awesome! The girls wanted to stay longer than we did.

After the park we drove into the downtown and went into a few stores. I bought pig socks, we bought lots of books at this awesome bookstore, we found poo-pourri, fudge, buns, jam, so many goodies!

We headed back to Carriage Hills to go swimming one last time and get ready to go home in the morning.

Saturday
We were and weren't ready to head home. Everyone worked really well together and we actually checked out before the appointed time! We decided to make our way home slowly and enjoy every last minute of our family vacation.

Our first stop was Orillia. We had breakfast at Sunset Grill and then we went back to play at the awesome park again, and this time we went on the train!

Our next stop was Port Perry. We had lunch at Blazin' Burgers which was yummy but the portions were a little out of control. Then we went to another park. The girls played until they were done and we climbed back in the car for the last stretch.

I can't remember exactly when we left Port Perry, but we weren't in any hurry to get home and stopped at two different farm stands on the way. And last but not least, since we never did go out for ice cream during our vacation we had "dinner" at Baskin Robbins! And then we took a family trip to the grocery store. We had such a wonderful time away. So much awesome together time as a family and for Ken and I too. It was so lovely!

Sometimes...

When people talk about marriage being work, and marriage being hard, and and and. I mostly disagree. Being married to Ken is easy. We've had problems and stresses, we've had sickness and money fun, and the children... if that doesn't stretch you, what will?!?! BUT through it all, Ken is my partner, my equal, my best friend, my everything.

I said that to Alice - well, actually to all the girls at some point this summer, and Alice totally called me on it.

"Mom, he can't be your everything. What is he, your air? Your food? Your clothing? Mom, Dad is not your everything!" And then she giggled because she thought she was pretty smart.

Yesterday on the way home from Ottawa Ken and I had a disagreement. His point of view was completely different from mine, and I was upset. I was really, really upset. I don't get upset at Ken very often, but when I do my world feels upside-down.

I went to bed upset. I woke up upset. I felt upset all day. And then we had a date. A wonderful friend of mine is a singer and an actor. She was performing in a play and had gotten us tickets. We had arranged everything before we left for Ottawa - when I still liked Ken (just kidding... mostly).

Ken and I left on our date and I was still upset. We drove to the train station and talked. We rode the train downtown and we talked some more. We walked to the play and we talked. We saw the play. We hugged Zorana and chatted with her in the street afterwards for a few minutes. We walked to a restaurant and had dinner (beside a totally awkward couple on a date - maybe a first date - shudder), and we talked. We walked back to the train, and we chatted more. We rode the train home and chatted more.

I remembered why I liked him. Sorrys were said and my world felt right again. My marriage to Ken isn't hard because for the most part we know how to disagree without hurting each other. We're both quick to say sorry, quick to say I love you. I am always thinking about how to make him happy, and he's always thinking about how to make me happy. We're both each other's number one. We take time to have fun with each other without the kids, and as a family with the kids. We both work outside the home, and inside the home. And he makes me laugh. I love my Ken so much, and I'm so thankful for him.