Our Summer Adventures Round-Up

This has been a pretty eventful summer! (Eventful compared to last when I had a baby who was not yet walking and tied us down a little more) Although I am sad that it is coming to an end, I have made a lot of personal growth this summer, as well as we have done some really fun family things.Let’s start with May. At the beginning of May, me and a couple girlfriends completed the Color Vibe. 5ks always get me nervous, but the more often I do them, I know the easier they will become. There are many versions of this race around the world, but they all have the same format. Basically, you run 5kms and at each kilometer mark they dust you with a color powder. You are covered by the end of the race, and feeling amazing! Later in May, I had my annual girls weekend with a group of 8 girls that I went to college with. Every summer and every Christmas at least, we all get together and spend the weekend. We are all like sisters and I always leave the weekend feeling so full of laughter and love. It is so good for my soul!In June, my husband Mike and I did the Rugged Maniac together and smashed it. (if you haven’t read my post about it yet, you can read it here). That race left me feeling more powerful than I have ever felt. That month, I also went Axe Throwing for the first time ever, and man is that cool! It’s pretty exhilarating channeling all your inner strength and whipping an axe at a giant piece of wood, all in the name of defending your title! Of course, as the weather got warmer, we embarked on many ice cream outings, which for my daughter is always so much fun! Her eyes light up at all the selections she can choose from, and she basks in the chance to eat more ice cream in one sitting than I would normally ever let her eat! June was also the month that we had our one-week holiday vacation away together, here’s the recap of all our fun day trips and activities.July brought another fun batch of activities. We celebrated Canada Day on the first of the month. It was the first time that Clara had done sparklers and saw fireworks. I am a very strict when it comes to her bedtime, so that night was a really special night because she was able to stay awake and experience she first fire works show! I was so excited for her! She was really nervous as first with the loud bang, and actually asked if she could go inside, but by the end she was shouting and cheering along with us all. And for days after, its all she could talk about! I have this thing, where I love giving Clara these amazing childhood experiences. Nothing makes me happier than seeing how excited and happy she gets. She turned 2 in July as well, so that was just days of birthday fun! She got a new big girl bed shortly after her birthday which was a big milestone for her. She seems to be growing up so quickly and I don’t know how to keep up.In our town, we have a flea market that has a lot of local farmers who bring produce to sell along with other vendors that have preserves, pastries, meats and cheeses. We started the tradition this summer of going to the market as often as we could to get fresh vegetables for the week (and we have breakfast while we are there too!) This is one of the ways that I can show Clara how important it is to have fresh local food to eat, and how we can make it fun while doing it!I LOST 18 pounds this summer! (From mid April- beginning of Sept) The most personal growth of all!! I made some significant changes in the food I was eating and the workouts I was doing back in April and from April to now, that is what happened. It was a big deal for me, and right now I am feeling leaner, stronger and healthier than I have felt in a very long time. In addition to this, I have really found my life passion for helping others. Coming from a social worker background, I have always felt the desire to make a difference for people, but it has become very clear to me that the niche I wish to do that is through health and fitness. This has motivated me to get my Nutrition and Health Coach Certification, so I can help others break their habits, make changes and achieve their fitness and health goals. I have learned for myself that being well is not just about what you eat and how much you move, it is about every facet of your life.This amazing summer was wrapped up with a killer week with Shaun T’s Shaun week, a summer garden party in a out of this world garden and a movie in the park with my baby and our friends. Clearly, there were too many things to pick, and this wasn’t even all of the things we did!What did you do this summer that was memorable? I would love to hear it! Did you do accomplish a personal goal?Hugs and Kisses,Andrea