First camping trip of the year

Friday late afternoon we launched our first camping trip of the season! We are lucky that we were able to get our hands on a 2013 Flagstaff tent trailer. Neither Luke or I have ever owned a camper so this is “glamping” for us! We are both sick but since this was booked months in advance we decided to go nevertheless.

Okanagan Lake is massive and there are many beautiful campsites all around. This trip we went to the Okanagan south campground. Once there it only took Luke 4 tries to back up the trailer straight. (We both thought it would’ve taken him more, so this was an achievement!) Beside us was this large group of old hippies celebrating one of their 60th birthdays. They were a fun bunch but we were there to keep to ourselves mostly.

We set up Friday night and basically did just that…set up have a few drinks and make dinner. We went to bed around 9 seeing as were both sick. Saturday morning we knew the weather would be sub-par but figured get out as early as possible and do stuff.

We walked the dogs and made breakfast and then took the kayaks out. The water was cold and the wind was blowing which made it more challenging to paddle. But we paddled and it was grand. I haven’t been on the water like this in years. It’s one of the reasons we moved out here, to explore and be more physically active.

We got back from kayaking and the rain started. It poured for hours, making it hard to do anything but play chess or cards. Normally I beat Luke at chess but he won a very impressive two to one bout.

Next day

We woke up this morning hoping for sunshine as the weather apps predicted. No such luck. It was raining before we got up and although it stopped it was chilly and windy. Our spot also calls for us to vacate by 11 so we simply made breakfast and cleaned up and went home.

There are definitely a few tweaks to be made in the trailer. Neither of us are fans of the old lady frilly decor most campers have. We are gonna spend sometime over the summer to revamp the trailer to suit us better, and also make it look better if it ever comes time to sell it.

I started researching tent trailer renovations and there are some pretty amazing before and after on Pinterest. Can’t wait to start customizing ours!

Wishing and hoping and thinking and planning

There are so many plans we hope to achieve and the end result is getting closer. We have done a ton of research and planning and everything is lining up. The biggest hurdle we are facing now is timing. For the business model we are looking to launch and to be profitable would have to start about now. And we won’t be ready until August.

So the question is, do we hold off and continue planning and make sure every I is dotted and T is crossed and launch next season? Or do we just go for it and see what happens. My gut says hold off but my heart says go for it.

My heart has led me into hazardous situations before. It’s not always about love, mostly passion. I become so passionate about something that it takes hold of me. Sometimes that’s a good thing, sometimes it leads to poor decisions.

I know I haven’t divulged what this business is. I’m keeping it on the down low for a reason. It would be the first of its kind in Canada. That’s a big deal. Which is why I know it will work. I’ve seen this type of business thrive in many parts of the world. I’ve been doing my due diligence, and research and case studies and I know it in my gut that it will work.

So what next

Honestly there are still so many parts that need to line up before we can launch. The city has approved a permit program for us, “step one”. We have a knowledge of most of the financials, but have yet to get financing. I have a few phone calls yet to make in that regard. The government has many grant programs to help us which would cover a large chunk of the start up costs and also loan programs for the rest. It’s completely viable but still scary. I’ve never started a business of this magnitude. I’ve done a few side hustles before, but this could lend itself to total independence if done right.

So there it is

We are just a few steps away from making this happen. But since it’s a season permitting business, do we launch in August, or do we wait? That is the question.

What a whirlwind

We spent a crazy 96 hours traveling and visiting family last weekend.  Luke flew to Calgary Thursday morning, I took him to the airport. Then went to work for most of the day only to find that my flight had changed and had to leave an hour early. I get into Calgary around 7pm and we decided to go to one of our favorite restaurants there and have a meal. Anejo is the name of the restaurant and if you ever visit Calgary it’s a must go kind of place.

Morning one

We wake up at 3 am to get ready for our international flight. To be honest I was not in the mood. Is anyone in the mood to wake up mid sleep to prepare for a journey…I think not.  Luke and I got up and showered and brushed our teeth. We both noticed the lack of water pressure in the hotel, which sucked because Luke was struggling with the soap in his beard. Frustrating to say the least. Anyway. We fly to Houston and had a layover there and then down to Corpus Christi. The weather wasn’t great but my whole family was there so it didn’t matter. We ate and drank and walked down to the beach it was lovely.

Morning two

Next day the house was stirring quite early, three toddlers and their moms and Luke and I since we always wake up early.  It was my sister’s graduation day so everyone who was going was bustling. The babies and mommies stayed back cause no one wants to deal with screaming babies during a ceremony. Luke and I were in charge of making dinner for everyone that night. Dinner for 18 may seem like a big to do but we had a plan. We headed to the store and grabbed everything we needed to make homemade enchiladas and corn to make Mexican street corn.

We spent most of the afternoon prepping and drinking beer and taking breaks to hang out with the kiddos.

The ceremony ended around 4:30 and everyone started coming back. Man was it ever crowded in that space. We had rented a 3 story 6 bedroom beach house for 4 days so everyone had a place to sleep. But the main living space was small and was getting more crowded by the minute.  Luckily we had everything ready to go so it was simply popping everything into the oven.

We spent the evening playing games and chatting and catching up!

Morning three

We were finally lucky to get some good weather and planned a day at the beach. But this was Mother’s Day so I wanted to make breakfast for everyone. We had flour and eggs and milk but no baking powder.

I googled a recipe that called for me to separate the egg whites from the yolks and whip them up until you saw peaks. I mixed everything else together and voilà fluffy soufflé type pancakes. Check out the recipe here. They were a hit!

After cleaning up we all packed and headed to the beach. Almost immediately we broke into team to do a sandcastle build competition. Between building the sand castles, taking breaks to swim and play frisbee it was a busy fun filled day. Luke ended up picking up a golf cart to make it easy for anyone who needed to go back to the house. It was used a lot, babies need naps and stuff.

We ended the evening with my brother and his girlfriend making dinner and watching Game of Thrones all together. (We are a family obsessed)! We said our goodbyes that evenings cause Luke and I had to be up at 3 am to drive to the airport and catch our flight to Houston.

Morning four

Another 3 am wake up ugh. We had slept maybe 3-4 hours and were exhausted.

I won’t bore with the details of the flights home but two connections and 12 hours later we were home. What a whirlwind trip.