The Year In Review

January: The first month of the year was spent mostly outside- setting the tone for the rest of 2014- we started our year off at one of our favourite beaches- Spanish Banks- drinking coffee and snacking on cookies. Fresh off the plane from California we were tired and wanted a quiet moment before heading back into the fray of regular life. As much time as possible was spent outside at the beach- including a few sick days- whenever the rain broke we headed to the shores and trails!

February: Our collective Birthday month brought much excitement in my work life- a large order was delivered to local shop- Nineteen Ten Homestore. A first for Plain Jane- the beginning of a very busy year for me.

March: We said Goodbye to our Grandma- after a lengthy battle with Alzheimers - it sucks and we miss her.

April: Lets just call this the month of Easter eggs and influenza- we had the stomach flu several times this month- possibly the worst month ever! Regardless we did manage to head outside and soak in some sunshine- once the barfing stopped.

May: Back on track once again- all in good health- we headed South for a mini vacation to Seattle- it rained- we had margaritas- the kids danced on chairs- a fun time was had by all. We also headed up to Squamish a few times in May- as the snow retreated hiking season resumed.

June: Mother's Day in the Okanagan- many trips were made over the mountains and into the valley- a lot of miles were put on our old van heading back and forth to visit our family. The sun returned and our rain coats were shed in favour of shorts and sandals. The Boy discovered how much he likes to climb trees.

July: School finished and we headed to the Okanagan for two whole weeks- all together as a family- I have too many amazing memories of this time to list them all here- to say every day was an adventure would be an understatement- swimming, parades, parties, weddings, horse back riding, fishing, more swimming, cherry picking- holy moly it was a busy two weeks! The month was topped off by visits from two of my dearest friends and their families- Sarah and Dea- as always it was epic and too much fun!

August: This month can be summed up by one activity- swimming! August was the month of swimming- pools- ocean- lakes. The cousins came to visit and most of the time was spent in the hotel pool- the Littles can actually swim on their own now- which meant plenty of time for me to visit pool side with my sister!

September: With the teachers and government still deeply embroiled in a labour dispute we had an extended Summer vacation- probably my favourite day was our little trip over to Bowen Island- this place is truly a magical spot. Days spent exploring our city with friends- keeping the Littles busy was the theme of September- also I finally finished knitting my first pair of socks! When school finally went bad into session it was with a heavy heart that I sent my Littlest off to full day Kindergarten- my baby is a big kid now- time is flying too fast for my liking. I also return to work- which is strange and wonderful at the same time- our family struggles to find our way.

October: Fall descends quickly- it feels a little weird after our extended Summer to all of a sudden be smack dab in fall- my children are growing like weeds- long- long legs. We are falling into our school routine- baking cookies and granola bars- making big batches of soup- warm cozy happenings. Halloween rolls around- I dress up as a blogger and am the only one who finds this hilarious! I ride my bike again- the weather is perfect.

November: Cool crisp days- more hikes- so many good hikes! Time spent out at Terra Nova and a wonderful hike out in Belcarra- they don't call our province Beautiful BC for nothing! We love where we live!

December: We finish the year off much as we started it- the weather has been cold and crisp and much of this last week of 2014 was spent outside at the beach.

         It was tricky to only pick a few of my favourite pictures and memories to feature in this post- if you made it this far- thank you for your tenacity! While all these very ordinary moments might not look spectacular to many they mean the world to me- my family is everything - our year was the best possible one we could give our kids- which to me makes it wonderful- magical- spectacular! A year filled with adventure- creativity- growth- good food and the very best friends a family could ask for- leaves me filled with gratitude and I think the beginnings of grace. This new year has some big shoes to fill- 2015 are you up for it?