Learning to Dance in the Rain

Last weekend Corey and I decided we needed to escape life.  We needed to not go visiting*, we needed to not do yard work/housework/chores and we needed some time to just simply be a family.

After hours of debate and hunting we decided that the only logical place to go, would be back to one of the 2 places on earth that holds my heart – Victoria.

Corey and I had our teeny honeymoon in Victoria.  We spent 2 days in bed (not doing what you’d think.  We slept and tried not to barf any more), we walked the streets, we rode in carriages and we went out for dinner.

A few years later we took Bethany there and once again we explored.  I was pregnant with Audrey and madly craving Ketchup chips, but again we enjoyed the beauty of a city that is so unique.

We’ve never not enjoyed a trip to Victoria and so when it came time to load the family up and go, I was excited.

*Photo Credit – Bethany

This trip we stayed at the Delta Ocean Pointe Victoria and it was beautiful!  They did as every Delta has done before them, and treated us like royalty.  Making our girls feel important and Corey & I feel valued.  The room was beautiful, the view spectacular (including the HUGE thunder and fork lightning storm Friday night) and the gym awesome (yes. that matters).

We spent the weekend hiking at Goldstream Provincial Park, swimming and walking, shopping, hanging out and adult napping (it’s ok, you can be jealous) and Sunday I got the treat of all treats.  I got to go out for dinner with my family and EAT A MEAL!

My corn allergy prevents me from eating in restaurants ever.  Things like the way table salt may have been processed can determine whether or not I have a happy evening or a horrible one.  I can’t trust a kitchen to not contaminate my food because the list of names for corn & it’s byproducts is 2 pages long.  So often I sit and watch.  I visit, I drink water and I wait until I can get back to my hotel room to make myself something to eat.

Not in Victoria.  There is a restaurant there, the Japanese Village that is a Teppan restaurant.  They cook all your food in front of you, nothing gets put on my food AT ALL before it’s brought out.  I see how it’s cooked, what it touches and then I eat without fear.  It’s a blessing and a treat beyond measure and Sunday night was the first time in over a year I was able to eat out.

We needed this weekend together.  We needed to say “yes” to the silly things the girls wanted to do.  We needed to watch them run up and down the beach collecting shells and to curl up and read a book.  We needed to teach them that we are a family and we, just the 4 of us matter.  We needed this and I’m so thankful we could have it.

Monday morning while we were waiting to board our ferry I saw a sign, one I wished I’d have bought that said…

“Life isn’t about learning how to live through the storm… it’s about learning how to dance in the rain”

As I read it and saw the “Hope” & “Joy” heart charms on the side (the girls’ middle names) my eyes filled with tears.

This past 2 years has felt truly like one very long storm, that isn’t showing signs of cleaning any time soon and I have spent so very long trying to learn how to just simply survive.  Then weekends like this come along and I realized, they were the times that I let go of my fear and just simply let our girls (and my heart) dance in the rain.

*While we LOVE seeing all of you who are so far away, sometimes it’s a hectic weekend seeing everyone.