This summer was our busiest yet. Holidays were had, our baby was born and all of my siblings visited. There is nothing more beautiful than Nova Scotia in summer and I was so glad to share it all with Shannon, Mireille, Taylor and Cierra, and then later Courtney joined us all too. I gave birth to Quill on the Tuesday and then the Ryan's arrived on the Saturday! The timing was actually great. I had a few days to recover from the birth and then I had lots of people to cuddle Quill, keep me company and clean my kitchen! (my least favourite household task). The Ryan's are great at seizing the day and as seasoned adventures took off in the directions I suggested and found the fun. I joined them for the shorter trips and some of my fav spots and in between there was lots meals together, making smores by the fire, lake swims and paddle boarding, reconnecting and sharing.
The Ryan's arrived late on Saturday night and then we were all up bright and early for church. Everyone was shocked to see me there after just having the baby Tuesday but I honestly felt great and I was happy to share a part of our life that I loved with my family. That afternoon the Ryan's took my kids over to see some new puppies just a few weeks old belonging to a family in the ward. This was a real highlight for everyone who went.
I can't quite remember everything that the Ryan's got up to without me but I know that they saw all the highlights of Nova Scotia. They went to Lunenburg, Mahone Bay and the sea caves, they spent a day in the Valley at the rock formations and chasing sunflowers, they took our kids to the citadel and the waterfront and saw the Titanic graveyard. They would come home and tell us all the cool things they saw and then we would swim at the lake or eat dinner together. We had our friend Josh over to meet everyone one night and to give us the 101 on boiling the fresh lobster we had picked up. We attempted a lobster race and afterwards we lite the chiminea and everyone had their fill of smores. I loved being with my two nieces Taylor and Cierra, we got some good catch up chats in the car as they took turns riding with us to places and they were great with the kids, teaching them songs and letting them climb into bed with them. They grow up so fast and I'm so glad we got to see them before they are full blown adults.
We saw some top spots together. We visited Peggy's cove and ate lobster rolls at the Sou'Wester. Cierra and Shannon took some amazing drone footage of us at Peggy's cove and Mireille kindly posed for a photo discovering that the man was pretending she was his girlfriend! lol. We spent a great day out at the Shubanachadie Wildlife park where Cierra got to see a white wolf and lots of great animals were out including the bears and moose, though the otters are always our favourite. Afterwards we headed to Burnt Coat Head to see the tide come in and climb the lighthouse. It was very beautiful there and watching how fast the tide came in really showed how incredibly quick it happens. The Bay of Fundy always amazes me. Our other trip all together was to the Seaport Markets, my Halifax favourite, where we loaded up on lemonade, fruit and bakery treats and headed to the roof. I never grow tired of that little ritual, it's simple and fun and I love sharing it with visitors. Afterwards we walked the waterfront in the sunshine together and enjoyed the beauty of Halifax Harbour. Some of the best times were down at the lake of course. The girls made flower crowns for Primrose, swam and took turns paddle boarding, kayaking and capturing great footage with the drone. I think everyone struck the perfect balance of relaxing an adventuring.
Time always goes so fast when you are together and adventuring. Before we knew it we were saying our goodbyes as the Ryan's continued East on their trip. We had such a wonderful time with them and loved reconnecting and sharing a place we love so much with them. Taylor really loved Nova Scotia so I hold out hope we will be back visiting her there one day! Thanks Ryan Family, we love you xx
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