Home Sweet Home:

It’s been a few weeks since Bentley and I went home to beautiful B.C. for a visit, but I thought I would give the lowdown. It was a very short visit but a great one packed with fun activities and visits with good friends and loved ones. Poor Bentley endured about 9 hours to Vancouver and about 8 hours back to North Bay cooped up in a kennel. We arrived to an unusually snowy Vancouver with subzero temperatures. Ironically, there was more snow in our backyard in North Delta than was in my yard in North Bay. After a joyful reunion with Rob at the airport, we wasted no time cramming in as much as we could into our short visit. We reunited with Bentley’s best friend Buster at the local dog park, and exchanged late Christmas presents before packing up and heading to Whistler where 20cm of fresh powder awaited us.

Arriving in Whistler, I quickly realized the epic ski season that I was missing. Big flakes of snow were falling, adding magic to the winter wonderland in the village. Snow banks lined the roads like huge icy fences. Rooftops were blanketed with what looked like a dozen or more snow duvets. The deck at the cabin was full of snow almost as high as me!!! I don’t think I have ever seen so much snow at Whistler. Rob treated me to a delicious Indian dinner at the Tandoori Grill, and except for the very high winds on our first day and a temperature of -30º C on another, we still got some sweet turns in. Our last morning in Whistler was crisp and clear with a picturesque view of the mountains. We decided to enjoy it for a little longer and took Bentley for a good hike in the snow at Rainbow Park. This gave me a chance to test out the sweet new snow shoes that Rob bought me for Christmas. After our snowy hike, we headed back to the lower mainland for an evening set aside to spend with friends.

The turnout at the YBC was absolutely incredible, allowing me to see close to 40 of our friends. Although I was only able to visit a few minutes with each of them, it was so amazing to see them. It was a strange mix with friends of mine from school, the flight school I used to work at, our coed hockey team, a few of our in-laws, and some longtime friends that Rob grew up with. It meant so much to me that they all could make it. This was our last night in B.C. and it was the only night that I got to sleep in our house, in our bed. Bentley and Ripley came to an understanding and Bentley slept on the couch in the living room letting Ripley have the whole upstairs with us.

Our last day in Vancouver included a lovely brunch with Rob’s family at Cam & Kelly’s place. I was shocked to learn how much our niece and nephew had changed in the nine months I had been away. I got teary when 3 1/2 year old Dylan greeted me with a hug and told me he missed me. He was no longer a baby and certainly becoming a charming little boy. His baby sister Serena was now a toddler running around after her big brother. More late Christmas presents were exchanged, a yummy brunch was enjoyed by all, and we finished with a Birthday Cake for our sister in law, Fran. Again, I was spoiled rotten with lovely gifts. After excited talk of our next reunion in Hawaii, we said our good byes and Rob and I spent the rest of the day together before we had to depart on our 23:00 flight back to Ontario. It was a teary goodbye. This time, was much more difficult to leave than the last. My eyes were very puffy by the time I got to Toronto, and it was only partly because I did not sleep a wink on the flight. Bentley and I safely arrived back in North Bay the following morning. Whew….what a whirlwind trip. I was sad because I missed everyone already. But, at least I have Hawaii in March to look forward to!!