It's My Life

By Countesstt @CountessTT

My Friends - Manitoulin Island - 2011


There is something I love about every season.  Spring is one of my favorite times of the year. In the late spring of 2011 I got to spend a long weekend with my FPU besties!  We went to a friends cottage and had an absolutely fantastic time.  It was pretty cold but we bundled up and still sat outside and had a few cocktails.  We ate and sang and laughed so much.  One afternoon we sat in the hot tub and drank champagne and then decided to run and jump in the lake.  It was freezing cold and I seriously think there was still ice on the lake.  But then of course we did it a second time anyway!  Such a fun weekend.  I love our get togethers. Plus it was so wonderful to feel normal again!
Summer is another favorite time of year for most Canadians.  We tend to soak up every

Family Reunion - St.Sauveur - 2011

ounce of sunshine we possibly can.  I love to be outside and especially near a lake, a pool or the ocean.  I love spending this time with my family and friends but I am also very content to enjoy some solitude with a good book.  The summer of 2011 was one full of all sorts of adventures.  We kicked it off with our annual Tarnowski family weekend which was in Saint Sauveur in Quebec that year.  It was amazing!
We also made a few road trips to the U.S. and to my Dad’s place on Manitoulin Island.  One trip we made was down to Buffalo, N.Y. for my daughter to attend a hockey training camp at the university. For the week she was there Mike and I rented a cottage on Lake Erie and had some time alone for the first time in many, many years.  We went golfing, swimming, cycling, shopping, and visited wineries too.  At night we watched old movies that we picked up at Target and laughed and played cards.  It was amazing to just be the two of us and find out that we still really like to be together, just us two.

Presque Isle State Park, Erie, Pennsylvania - 2011

Later in the summer we went to Manitoulin and had some more cottage adventures.  This time it was four couples and the weather was very, very hot.  Perfect to be at the beach by the lake with good friends.  I will never forget that night.  We had a great day in the sun followed by a fantastic dinner and lots of wine.  We made a campfire on the beach and the stars were all out and we had music playing and somehow somebody had glow sticks and we all had some and we sang and danced barefoot in the sand like a bunch of crazy kids.  I felt completely content and young and carefree that night.  The next morning I felt pretty awful but hey, it was worth it.
All of this to say that life is full of adventures! It doesn’t always have to be an expensive month-long African safari in the Serengeti. It can be a day trip to a local park to do a hike and have a swim. Or it could be a walk around the block or a trip to the grocery store.  Whatever it is just soak it all in and take the time to notice all the little sights and sounds and smells along the way. Sharing your adventures with people you enjoy being with adds another element to the adventure but don't be afraid to venture out on your own either. It's My Life - Bon Jovi