Bermuda, Bahama...C’mon Pretty Mama!

You guys! I cannot believe that we are in the air floating above the clouds on route to Bermuda right now to celebrate as a family of 2.5!

It’s so surreal to me, these past twenty weeks have been magical but I’ve never felt time fly by so quickly. It feels like only twenty days ago that we found out we would soon be mama and papa to our miraculous little bundle of love. I’m feeling so happy and fulfilled at the halfway mark. I have to say, I’m in love with pregnancy and all of the wonder that is happening inside of me. I have this new found love for my body and for what we as women are capable of. Baby has been really kind to me so far, and so away we go to show Him or Her the ropes of what is to come in their little life with two globe wandering parents.

 

We ended up choosing the beautiful island of Bermuda as our Babymoon destination, not only because of what it has to offer (think bright blue Caribbean waters, pink sand beaches, and friendly locals) but most importantly, at least for us right now, we chose it for what it doesn't have: the zika virus. And let me tell ya, there weren't a ton of zika-free options for sun-filled tropical destinations in December that weren't too far away from North America. Added bonus - Bermuda is just a quick little two and a half  hour hop via WestJet from Toronto. Perfection.

 

I may or may not have nervously googled "Bermuda Triangle" once or twice just to see if there had been any recent activity, but in the end we were glad that we banked on this place because I'm not sure it would have passed our radar otherwise, and now it holds such a special place in our hearts! Who knew?!

 

I think little squish loved being in the ocean!

 

We landed on this little slice of paradise on Sunday evening and grabbed a quick taxi to our resort at Coco Reef, a quaint little place overlooking the ocean at Elbow Beach. We picked this place in particular because we wanted to be staying right on the beach and we were looking for something a little more personal than some of the huge resorts have to offer. It was a perfect fit for us. Not to mention that travelling in the “off season” means you are almost guaranteed the place to yourself. So if you dig all the feels of renting out an entire villa privately without forking out the maj coin, then now is the time to getaway! And naturally we took advantage of the sitch.

  

 

We spent one of our days just beach bumming right in front of the resort. Our only agenda on this trip was to get some major rest & relaxation. And so that’s pretty much what we did.

The beach sand is so soft and clean! Bermuda is known for their pink sand beaches. At Elbow Beach the sand only reflected that pink hue during sunset, and it was gorgeous. The waters are 50 shades of blue and so clean. #sunsoutbumpsout.

 

 

 

 Every morning the sunrise would greet us through the balcony window and it was so beautiful that I would get up and watch it each morning from the deck.

I’ve promised myself I'll get better at documenting this special time in our lives, so if your digging some gushy, proud new-mommy-to-be kind of posts, I’ll be sharing more of our Bermuda babymoon while we are here soaking it all in. Next up is the adventures beyond the Coco Reef!

 

Xo Tegs & Babe

Galatea & Lillian Lakes Hike - Spray Lakes Provincial Park

We had such a great day surfing the Kan Saturday, that we decided on Sunday morning to head back out to the mountains for a hike. Yamnuska has been topping our list for quite a while now. So after waking up slowly, we organized some stuff for the week ahead, packed up some snacks and gear (read: camera) and set out to tackle this beast.

 

Unfortunately, we had basically got to the base of the mountain and came across a road closure on both sides of the access route. We were turned away and pulled over to re-evaluate the sitch. It was already getting past mid afternoon, so Dave suggested Lillian Lake in K-country. This was a hike we had set out to do a couple years ago, but had arrived there to find that the path was closed due to the 2013  flood damage. But on Sunday we finally got our second chance. All the cute little bridges (seven to be exact) were rebuilt and there weren't many people left on the usually busy trail since it was getting late-ish...that, or the fact that there was an advisory sign cautioning hikers of the Grizzly spotted on the trail yesterday. Eeeee.

I was way nervous with all the recent news of attacks, but we went ahead anyways after agreeing to talk loud and lots - mission accepted! It was a great hike, 13 km round trip following the creek at a steady climb. We definitely felt like we got a good sweat sesh in for the day.

I was a bit worried about the remaining daylight, because neither of us had a watch or phone for that matter...I know...im not exactly qualified to give out advice to the general public about hiking in the Rockies, but hey, maybe this can be more of a what not to do! But, we pushed on and when we got super puffed we would think of my amazing friend and coworker, who was currently pushing through her last hour of a 12 hour ironman race in Whistler, BC and suddenly we didn't feel so exhausted (Go Jordan Go!).

 We reached the gorgeous green waters of Lillian Lake and pit stopped for snacks, some re-hydration and good ol people watching across the lake. And when the last of those people took off for the base, we thought we better head back too, and pass them, so that we were not the last ones alone on the trail in the dark without any form of emergency gear what so ever. Sometimes you need to find motivation, and sometimes motivation just finds you!

  

I definitely recommend this hike. We figured it took about 4.5 hours round trip - but yeah we didn't exactly track it and that includes the jog out ;)

xo Tegs

Rollin on the River

 

As much as I truly love to travel the world and discover new places, the same burning sense of adventure flares up within me on the weekends that we are stuck at home for one reason or another. You know, when you just want to GO somewhere or DO something. It's the very sense of longing that led me to my love of hiking in the Rockies before we took on the mighty Kilimanjaro in 2014. 

 

 

Then last year we discovered river surfing! Hello hydraulic engineering at it's finest...I mean, I may have uncovered my true calling as a water resources engineer (I knew it had to be in there somewhere). Dave says the best part is that it's literally in our backyard (...for the record, I think the best part is that its $f-r-e-e.99...unlike his other lovers snowboarding, golfing and hockey). So now, when we get that itch to fly somewhere coastal, and lets face it...that itch bugs us a lot, we can save a dime and head to K-country. 

Heaven for the landlocked.

 

 

We headed out again last weekend, with our friend DP. Of course Davey an Dan took to it like a fish to water (haha). Don't get me wrong, it is tough! Full on upper and lower body strength, solid core, sick balance and some serious body heat to brave the icy blue water. But dang is it fun to forget you live in the prairies for a day.

 

 

I gave it a go last year and yes, I classified getting on all fours on the board as surfing haha. This time around I stuck to picture taking because, well, I know where my strengths lie and they are not in the river...yet. Ill work on that.

 

I'm still semi-worked up over the fact that I floated half way down the course and had to boogie board down a rapid after celebrating a bit too long on my victorious ride last year. It was a mix of shocked, stoked and not exactly thinking too hard about exiting the current to the correct side of the river, so you know there's that. But I also forgot to mention that the group of people out there are so so friendly and nice, including my coach and the other guy that came to my rescue. I was fine, really, but thanks.

 



 



 

 We did a hike to Galatea Lakes the next day, and by the end of the weekend my feet were tired but my happiness tank was full. If you are anything like us and love any excuse to find the crisp, fresh air outside of the city limits, this will give you your fix. Guaranteed!

On a little footnote, I'm committed to finallllllyyyyy blogging again, so there are many recent and not-so-recent adventures coming your way. Shout out to my mom and sisters who I think may be the only people to read this blog *fist bump* 

xo Tegs