THE GOODS BLOG: Erika's Precious Little Life ~ September Edition

Phew!! What a summer!! This was probably the busiest, craziest, but best summer that I've ever had. Archie is back in school and I'm sitting here reflecting on the full-on two months that we've just experienced. It was a marathon in the best way. We truly made the absolute most of this summer! I hope that you're feeling the same and that you feel accomplished and content. There's something really nice about getting back to routines after living a wild life for a while. When I left off last month we were still on Prince Edwards Island so that's where this blog is going to pick up! Charlottetown continued to be amazing. We ate THE MOST EPIC lobster rolls that we've ever had (we were told that each one has one and a half lobsters in it!) and explored the stunning red sand shores. PEI had gorgeous beaches everywhere!

Next we drove to the east coast of PEI to a town called Souris. We spent two nights at The Inn at Bay Fortune and this bucket list stay was a complete dream come true! The property is owned and operated by Chef Michael Smith and his wife, whom we've been a big fan of for many years. Part of staying there includes the FireWorks feast - a multi-part experience that includes a farm tour, oyster hour (unlimited! I ate like a dozen!), and the feast itself. We essentially got to hang out with Chef Smith for five hours and he shucked our oysters and cooked us dinner. Talk about the best date night ever! Tim and I agree that if we had to choose one thing that was the best part of our vacation, it was this. I cannot recommend it enough. When can I return??

Chef Michael Smith

After that we continued to our third province; Nova Scotia!

Our first stop there was Lunenburg, where we spent two nights at The Farm at South Cove. We stayed in a gorgeous waterfront loft right on the water with absolutely stunning views. The town was cozy, adorable, and colourful. It's home to the Bluenose II, the ship on the ten cent coin!

We were also sure to visit Peggy's Cove, so charming and home to the most famous lighthouse in Canada!

Next we drove to the capital city of Halifax. We spent three nights at a 115 year old home followed by one night at the very fancy Muir hotel. Halifax felt like a proper big city with lots to see and a bustling waterfront.

Finally we moved on to our fourth province; Newfoundland!

We had to take a 16 hour overnight ferry to get to Newfoundland which was so much fun! The ship was much nicer than expected and felt like a cruise ship. We drove to St. John's where we spent three nights at The Inn by Mallard Cottage. This beautiful inn was located in the adorable seaside Quidi Vidi neighbourhood. This province felt remote and was a rugged oceanside dream. St. John’s is a city strong in its identity, filled with a rainbow of houses. We enjoyed the amazing chef-driven restaurants and incredible dining culture! While there we visited the eastern-most tip of Canada, woke up to watch the first sunrise of the day in the whole country, and of course we got screeched in as well!

Chef Todd Perrin

25 days away. 5 provinces. 11 cities/towns. 3 flights. 2 rental cars. 3,792 kilometers driven. 2 ferries. 11 LOBSTERS EATEN. I cannot say enough about how incredible this east coast Maritime vacation was! I loved every single part of our adventure and I am so grateful that we were able to take this bucket list journey. Our country is so beautiful and it would be a big shame not to experience all of it. I highly recommend a trip like this to everyone!

Somehow upon our return I had two days before the Edmonton International Fringe Festival kicked off and I promptly rolled into that life for eleven days. It was kind of a lot... But I also can't change who I am, ha ha. Regardless of having just returned home after being away for almost a month, I jumped right in! I saw 22 shows in total, hung out on the Fringe grounds practically every day, and as usual, I had an amazing time. It truly is one of the best events that Edmonton has to offer and I would never miss it! It's a big part of my Edmonton identity.

We had a few last summer activities before school got started again and then that was a wrap on summer vacation!

And then it was the first day of school! Archie is off to grade two! He's still in French Immersion and can even have little conversations with me in French now.

Archie's teacher's name is Mme. Haddad and she seems really nice!

Back to my very fun and interesting body journey... My doctor had my hormones re-tested and it turns out that I have very likely reached full-on menopause. I have not had a period for six months. If/when I reach twelve months it will be official. But the doctor said that my hormones are extremely menopausal and this is probably just it. SO THAT'S SOMETHING! (But it makes tons of sense given what my body has been doing for the past three years.) This is considered Early Menopause (when menopause occurs between 40-45 years old). This happens in 5% of women. 90% of women enter menopause between the ages of 45-55, with the average being 51 years old. Because I'm running a few years early the best course of action is for me to go on hormone therapy to bridge the gap. Not only will this prevent any negative affects of early menopause but it will also manage the related symptoms that I've been experiencing. It's a win-win and I can't wait to get started! I'm going to revisit this entire development with my Naturopath as well for further advice. Am I the first menopausal friend? It is me? Ha ha!! Meanwhile, on the same day that the doctor told me that I have likely reached menopause, I got ID'd buying a lottery ticket... WHO AM I?!? WHAT IS HAPPENING?!? WHAT IS ANYTHING??!

Life with Archie: Here are some Archie-specific highlights from our time in the Maritimes in August. His flight count is now at 57!

Prince Edward Island adventures!

Nova Scotia adventures!

Newfoundland adventures!

Archie even did a Home Depot Kids Workshop in St. John's and built a Whiteboard!

I'm quite certain that Archie had a very memorable vacation and that he won't stop talking about it any time soon. I am beyond grateful to be able to give him these experiences. Back at home Archie also enjoyed the Fringe! He and I actually fringed together a lot! He came to three shows with me and he's my Fringe-going buddy. <3

We finished up our last home bakes of the summer!

And we visited Fort Edmonton Park on the last day of summer vacation by Archie's request. (He just wanted to ride the train a bunch of times, ha ha.)

Archie seems happy to be back at school and back in his routine. As usual, on his first day we told him that he could pick any restaurant that he wanted for dinner and he picked Malt & Mortar. I'm pretty sure that he mostly just wanted fries.

And now it's September and the whirlwind of the summer is winding down! This week we're off to Regina (because we can't just stop?). The GMS Queen City Marathon is happening and my brother (who has become a very serious runner) is running his first full marathon (42.2K). We thought that it would be great to be able to cheer him on! Then Tim decided to participate as well and he signed up for the 10K run. And Archie is ALSO participating and doing the 2K Mini-Marathon for 5-7 year olds!! So basically everyone is running except for me, ha ha!! I think it's going to be a lot of fun and it'll be great to spend some time with my family. Apart of from this nothing else of note is really happening this month... Which is actually great!

THIS MONTH’S SHOUT-OUTS!: September 6th is Zena Domanski's 49th wedding anniversary!

Just a couple of children! I would say that I hope that you and Dad have a chance to celebrate your day of romance... Except I know that you're going to be having dinner with me!!! It doesn't get more romantic than that, let me tell you!! But also, we are going to have to throw a big party next year! Let's go to Montreal! September 10th is Sarah Tasker's 13th wedding anniversary!

Just a couple of children! I hope that you and Darren have a chance to celebrate your day of romance! September 17th is Sarah Tasker’s 42nd birthday!

I hope that you get to feel very spoiled on your special day! You spent a busy summer traveling all around as well and I hope that your cup has been filled with only the best memories and adventures! You mean so much to me and I love that our bond is still so strong after alllllll these years. We're in this for life! I love you very much!! <3