How is it that we are suddenly 1.5 days out from our road trip down to Vancouver Island? At this point I had planned to have at least a list made of what to pack. I love to over pack; things just tend to creep in to suitcases and bags. This time around I need to factor in toys, kids clothes, kids shoes (shoes! don’t forget the shoes) – I tend to forget footwear – stroller, playpen etc. I think my truck box is going to be pretty darn full.

We are going to be leaving at some ungodly early hour to maximize the inevitable stopping time without having to take a late ferry. Speaking of Ferries I should go and reserve a spot after this. My daughter is so excited to see the ocean and take the “big boat”. She keeps asking when she will see it.

This morning she told me “two hours! I’ll see the ocean in 2 hours” (I think she meant days, but anything longer than a few minutes is 2 hours). I told her that she had to have two more big sleeps than we could see the ocean. Her eyes got big with excitement and enthusiastically said “yes!” 

The nice thing about going to the Island is we have family to stay with, so we don’t need to factor in any hotel stays. I love my kids, but I also need my own space. It will also be nice to have a home base where naps can happen, and food can be consumed. I am very time oriented when it comes to naps – rarely do I let anything jeopardize my children’s naps. I will just have to let go and be a bit more flexible while we are on this trip….I can do it……I can do it. 

We have a few fun things planned such as visiting the pool we used to frequent as kids, Butchart Gardens for a few hours, maybe take in the petting zoo on Beacon Hill. The rest of the time is just visiting and checking out old haunts to see how it has, or has not changed, since the last time I was there. I would check out the Butterfly Gardens, but my husband really is not a fan of the flappy little insects. I may leave the little guy with him, and take my daughter on my own. 

Stay tuned for how it goes!