We’re coming to the end of the rainy season here in the lower mainland. We live in Langley, BC, about 45 minutes from Vancouver and the temperatures are so mild that I forget it’s suppose to be winter. The trees started to bud last month and the spring flowers are already coming up. The Alberta girl in me will probably always marvel at that stark difference between provinces.

I’ve been working a lot, designing both for myself and for Simply Stated Design. There are some big work adventures in my future and getting ready for those has my head spinning. I often get asked what I do when people find out I work from home and I simply say “Design greeting cards.” True, but it’s so much more than that, I never know how to describe working a creative job. Social media, designing, instructions, promotion, kit prep, computer work, packing, shipping, ordering, managing…. I wear a lot of hats and “Designing greeting cards” is easy.

Maggie goes to daycare (first photo) once a week. She’s a social butterfly and hanging out all day with me is lame so we send her to basically run around, get muddy and play with other dogs.

We, as a family, try and go on at least one adventure on the weekends. My choice is almost always the ocean or “find a waterfall”, while Anna chooses where ever there is ice cream. Cory is easy and will drive us anywhere we want. We work well together.

Working from home sometimes looks like this and I’m not complaining.

Maggie loves her sister. Or maybe she loves taking up all the space in Cory’s truck and laying on Anna is a bonus. We’ll never know. Maggie has been with us for just over a year. I admit, I didn’t want a dog and adjusting to life with a dog wasn’t easy. However, I can say with certainty, our lives are better because of her and I am grateful I said yes to Cory & Anna.

I said goodbye to my car and hello to a new ride. That Rav and I went on so many amazing adventures together & I am so grateful for all of them. I wrote a post on social media about how emotional I got when I said goodbye and the general consensus was that I wasn’t alone. We love our cars and the memories they hold.

No matter the weather, I can not go to the ocean and not go in. To feel the sand and water on my feet is something so special to me. Cold, it’s also very cold most times but also worth it. And also worth all the sand in my shoes after.

Anna is over half way through her school year and has chosen her high school classes for next year. No need to wonder, I cried like a baby when the email with the course catalogue came. A catalogue! That’s how many courses there are to choose from. This is both incredible and overwhelming. She was of course, fine.

There are the most beautiful parks all around us. It’s truly incredible. I will also say though, that there are also a lot of people! I’m not a fan of crowds (unless I’m in Disneyland) and finding “just the right” time to go explore is a fun game. Early is always best but teenagers don’t like early. 😉

It’s not lost on me that Anna is getting to the age where coming on our adventures probably isn’t her first choice. For now, she comes and still has a good time. I, of course, will always promise ice cream & treats as incentive. Whatever it takes, because together is absolutely better.

♥ Nadine