Summer Kick off at Birch Bay

Chris and I decided to get away for a quick trip to before summer life got busy.

The easiest thing to do was to go to my parents' place in Birch Bay.

It didn't take Chris long to grab a glass of wine and get the fire going :)

Chris couldn't resist playing with some of my dad's power tools...

Chris and I have gotten to really enjoy biking in the last little while...

of course it's always the most fun when your destination is the ice cream shop. :)

Gotta love a beach photo op!

Since this was going to be our only chance to celebrate our anniversary, we went out for dinner one night.

Our choices were limited in Birch Bay, but we were not disappointed with Bob's Burgers n' Brew.

Anywhere I can find a yummy drink is good with me!

Here is Chris trying to figure out the tip on his phone's calculator...

Chris will be Chris...need I say more?

Ummm....how did that get in there? I guess it's not hard to guess who was operating the camera at the time!

It's always great to get away as a couple...already feels like it's time to get away again!

Family and BBQ's

                                              What is summer without a family BBQ?

As soon as the weather turns nice, I love heading outside to eat :)

The men in my life and their grills...

Hmmm...my brother sharing his specialty with his nephew....

Margaritas will make a man of you...

Chris's Surgery Day

Early in the year, Chris found a mole on his leg that just didn't look right to him. He made an appt. with his doctor, who then sent him to a specialist. I was at work one day when he called to tell me that the specialist had cut the mole out and was going to send it to be tested. He pretty much told Chris right then that it was melanoma and further action would be needed. This would require him to see a plastic surgeon to cut more around the mole "just in case" and also to have a few lymph nodes removed to have tested to make sure the cancer had not spread.

Sponge Bob was a great comfort to Chris as he was being prepared to be put under.

This is Chris's leg post-op.

I'm happy to report that Chris's leg has healed just fine and most importantly...no more cancer!

My Little Piece of Paradise

When I can't get away for awhile, or have to work a weekend, I pretend I'm on vacation for a few hours in my own little piece of paradise...my backyard.

My hubby built a beautiful deck a few years back and we haven't had to do much to it over the years but we have made a few small improvements.

Last summer, we took the window out of our master bedroom and added on french doors.

This is the view from my bed. :)

This year, Chris added a few panels of acrylic to the roof area over the hot tub. This will come in handy when our beautiful summer is over.

My one little spot of colour...I mostly have low maintenance greenery in the way of a garden, so this is my little ray of sunshine!

Our newest addition is the fire bowl...the perfect way to make the evenings last a little bit longer!

There is a very good chance this is where you will find me if I don't seem to be anwering my calls....