Family

Hiking Goals Recap 22-23

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This year, we didn’t meet all our goals for our hiking year.  I’m totally good with that.

This year was the definition of life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.  We didn’t count on most things that happened to us- our big spring break trip was cancelled due to a huge home repair that cleaned us out, we were engaged in a legal issue for months that we didn’t anticipate at all, and we found out we are expecting a baby!  It is a mix of wonderful and weird, but all in all, good things.  Each of these things caused some change in plans.  

We did not hit our minimum 100 hikes.  We got 63- not bad!  More than 52 which is how this whole thing began.  

We did get 20 new trails in.  We traveled to some new places where we hiked.  One of our favorites was Palo Duro Canyon in Texas.  We also found some new local trails which was part of what this goal was for.

We finally did our wildflower hike which was overdue from the year before.  We did a bluebell hike on Easter and it was one of the most memorable hikes of the year.

We did not get our overnight hike in nor did we hit every state that touches Missouri (except Nebraska which we are saving for our future South Dakota).  Missouri actually has the most states bordering it of any other state!  We did get to hike in Iowa which we hadn’t previously done so that was great.  Oklahoma and Illinois as well.  

Of course, we hit some of our very favorite Missouri places and local trails too.

And of course, our favorite Missouri waterways. What’s better than a hike that ends in the river?!

I did not feel as much pressure to accomplish these goals this year.  As we set goals for the coming year, it’s become more like a wishlist, a hope, a dream.  Because we know especially since 2020 that we can plan but our plan doesn’t necessarily survive contact with the enemy.  Or in our case, contact with the year ahead.  This coming year, we know that the baby will be coming, and we are excited to see how life looks with our new addition.  Hope he likes that baby backpack because he has some hikes in his future!  🙂   

Highlight Reel

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People say that social media is everybody’s highlight reel. And I certainly post the big things that are happening in our lives, but my highlights are not necessarily just the things I’m posting.

My highlights are the random Wednesday evening dessert and we decide to play a game and share some belly laughs.

Or, alternatively, the “grab some impulse buy from the freezer” Tuesday night treat.

Or watching my kids freely create in the space we have designed for them to do so.

Or when they inspire me and push me to do the same.

Or when the kids decide to have a sibling sleepover in the basement.

Or when the boy and his best friend cuddle on the couch watching a movie.

Or when I’m scared and my husband comforts me.

Or I get reminded who I am through some conversation with someone- a family member, a friend, my man- who popped up with just the right words at just the right time on a random Thursday evening.

Or when the kids want to work together to make our house our home.

Or the silly selfie photos we take with my parents when my dad is making us laugh with his terrible faces.

Or when you are just looking at your child and you realize he’s all of the sudden so grown up and your heart swells with love and pride at the sight of him.

Or my friend and my husband helping me do Girl Scout stuff in the kitchen.

Or we visit family on a random weeknight.

Or when someone has had a hard day and they ask, will you play with me/ will you jump with me/ will you talk with me. Be with me.

Or in the everyday guess what I learned guess what I found out guess what I read watch this look at me.

Or the night we are too exhausted to do another darn thing, so we do a late dinner at the Mexican restaurant across the street even though we totally shouldn’t on many levels.

Or when they celebrate each other’s lives together.

Or driving the kids to their activities.

Or the conversations on the way to and from school.

Or in the relationships collectively but also individually- we witness grow and love each day.

Or hearing them share secrets and tell stories about their day. The best is when they ASK each other. 😀

Or the little lessons we learn and teach- explicitly, by example, and by lived experiences.

Or those Friday night transitions where either we are holding space for our kids’ transition or for our own transition.

Or the FaceTime calls when we are apart.

These moments are the highlight of my life. They are messy, but they are real.

My family has experienced quite a lot of tragedy so far this year. I have been on a weird and wonderful journey career-wise, and otherwise quite honestly. My husband and I have spent years healing and growing from our divorces. Our kids are growing growing growing. Some of it is quiet and slow til it hits you- hey! We grew! We made progress! Some of it hits you like a ton of bricks. But all in all, in between those tragedies and triumphs, we create this fabric of life to treasure and that is truly my highlight.

Toronto

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Kareem really wanted to visit Toronto as he has an aunt there and an affinity for the city. So we spent a couple days there.

His aunt was so gracious to us. She provided us lodging and tons of food while we were there! It was my first time meeting her, and she was so very kind to me and all of the kids. As a blended family, I am sensitive to how people treat our kids. I am really fortunate that my family views all these kids as family and treats my stepson the same as any of the others- sometimes even better haha- but not every family is the same. So it was appreciated that she was so welcoming and loving toward our kids.

We had kind of a funny snafu at the hotel. We were supposed to have two beds and a sleeper sofa which is what we will typically do. Trio on the bed and Rami on the sleeper sofa. We had two tiny double beds and a chair. So Kareem asked for a roll-away bed. They brought us a crib. Apparently, they didn’t have any roll-away beds and they were completely sold out so we couldn’t switch rooms. Jimmy was like, I can do the crib. So he did, and we made Rami a pallet on the floor. We enjoyed a huge Egyptian feast provided by Kareem’s aunt which was so welcome as we arrived late and had a stressful drive through some weather on the way there. We ended the evening feeling full, happy, and sleepy. The way it’s meant to be.

We visited downtown and had two priorities- the CN Tower and the Royal Ontario Museum. We were able to visit both and both delivered!

When we arrived in the city, we took the subway which, as you now know if you’ve been following my blog, the kids love. When we emerged from the underground, we just happened to be smack dab in the middle of an outdoor art fair!

So we enjoyed that for a while and took a few pictures with the Toronto sign. These city signs were a feature of our trip- we found them in several of the cities we visited.

We made our way to the CN Tower. This was really fun. We were on the tail end of the trip which had been really really great. We were all feeling the high of being together and in new places together, so the experience at the CN Tower was a bit magical. We took lots of pictures of ourselves and had lots of laughs. The views of the city and the lake were gorgeous, and I really enjoyed the views on the elevator ride.

We explored the city a bit. It has less of a cosmopolitan vibe than Ottawa and Montreal. It felt more like Chicago mixed with a splash of London than the other cities we visited.

We did visit A&W and Tim Hortons on our trip- two of Kareem’s top priorities. 🙂 We also went to an absolutely beautiful Chinese buffet with his aunt.

We had lots of choices of museums and attractions in Ontario and Toronto, but I chose the Royal Ontario Museum. It had really fabulous reviews, and we certainly found out why. It was a vast museum full of amazing artifacts from cultures around the world. We had some really important conversations and the kids had great questions.

The natural history on display was spectacular. Jimmy especially enjoyed the prehistoric creatures!

There were lots of kid-friendly and family-friendly exhibits that were hands on. We all enjoyed these Canada-specific exhibits about ecosystems and seasons.

Kareem enjoyed their very large and detailed Egypt collection. Actually, all of us enjoyed this. One of the best I’ve seen.

Rami’s birthday was at the tail end of our trip, so that was part of the appeal of the ROM- they had a special Harry Potter beasts exhibit that presented the magical beasts comparatively with real beasts and their adaptations. Rami is an HP fan, and all the kids LOVED this!

The museum was beautiful and a really great experience. We spent a long time there and probably could have planned another day there for real. The kids did not tire of it and there was a lot to see.

We also planned a night out at Medieval Times for his bday! I am a sucker for Medieval Times, the Stampede- any kind of show like this. Rami was knighted for officially becoming a teenager!! We all had a blast on our last night in Toronto!

Ottawa

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From Montreal, we headed to Ottawa. An absolutely beautiful drive. We actually saw purple rain! Among other things. Glorious.

We only spent one day in Ottawa, and this is somewhere I would very much like to return. Ottawa is the capitol of Canada, and has a very cosmopolitan vibe. Lots of diversity in people and cuisine here. I was really really wanting to spend one extra night here to see the light show on the capitol buildings, but we weren’t able to. Next time!

We started our time in Ottawa at the Royal Canadian Mint. There are a couple of mints in Canada, and this one is where they make the very special coins. It was a really thorough tour. We also got to see them actually making the coins, and throughout the tour, there were displays of historic currency and the story of Canada and its currency. We finally learned what a loon is and the significance of it! We couldn’t take pictures inside the mint, but they had a gift shop with some displays where the tour met and ended. They had a real bar of silver the kids got to try to pick up. They got a kick out of that.

We walked around downtown. This is the capitol of Canada, so we walked by lots of government buildings, including parliament, and embassies as well. There were many many choices for food. We let Lucy choose (I don’t remember why now), and she chose a Cantonese stall in an outdoor food hall. It was absolutely fantastic. The kids all made choices outside their comfort zones, and we all enjoyed a fabulous meal!

We walked around some more afterward and got some treats at a bakery and enjoyed the sights and smells of Ottawa.

There is lots more to explore there. This was kind of a last-minute diversion, so we definitely need to return as a destination. I really liked what I saw in our short viist!

Spot our kids! 😀

Montreal Cuisine

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The last thing about our time in Montréal is probably also one of the best things about Montréal- the food!

We were fortunate to get to try a variety of foods in Montréal.  Of course, poutine was a priority for us to try.  If you are not familiar, it is fries topped with gravy and cheese curds…. We had a mixed review of the poutine, but I LOVE poutine so I was excited.  Some of that enthusiasm rubbed off on two boys, but the others weren’t fans. 

Of course, as I mentioned, we were budget conscious.  So we didn’t eat out all the time.  We visited the market and bought some fresh fruits and vegetables as well as freshly baked breads and pastries for breakfasts.  We visited a supermarket to stock up on some snacks. We also ended up staying in kind of a party area of town that had lots of pubs and restaurants.  Our American family of six was somewhat of a novelty in some of the places we went to, and we ended up getting some deals just on our good looks and charm.  😉 

That’s a coca cola, promise.

We also did not eat in the most popular touristy areas if possible.  This was for budget purposes because places in these areas are usually more expensive, but it was also just to get a sense of the culture of the life in this city.  We went to a small local bakery/cafe where the lady working there was just so impressed with the kids trying to speak French and the size of our family.  She gave all of them little cookies and pastries to try.  I think she just wanted to her them say “merci” and it was well-appreciated!

We tried some crepes one morning for breakfast in a really cute and funky café near our stay on our last morning in Montréal.  This meal definitely hit it out of the park for everybody!

We did try some Canadian fast-food as well, but not so much in Montréal.  So more on that later!

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