THE GOODS BLOG: Erika's Precious Little Life ~ March Edition

The month of January took half a year long and the month of February was over in the blink of an eye. Tim and Archie are away at Beaver camp this weekend and I am reveling in the silence. I don't plan to put real clothes on today at all and it's really nice to have tons of time to write this blog - on the correct day, no less! Just imagine me in bed all day and taking a bubble bath at some point. And probably ordering in poke to eat. One of the first exciting things to happen last month is that we had beautiful stained glass panels installed in our front door. I helped to design these with the stained glass company and they're inspired by the chakras. This was our intention all along when we had the door replaced. I'm so thrilled with how it turned out! Our door is a magical work of art!

The next day I got a new tattoo! I really thought that I was finished getting tattoos but I'd been thinking about this idea for a while now. It's on my right forearm and it's small. They're my "big three" zodiac signs; Capricorn sun, Cancer moon, and Sagittarius rising. The colours are based on the element of each sign; earth, water, and fire. I'm super happy with it!

The Sweet Treats & Latte Festival was going on and I enjoyed many treats!! I even won a $100 gift card from the festival this year!

Then it was Valentine's Day and we had a cute day to celebrate!

All three of us went out to dinner at The Melting Pot and we enjoyed a delicious multi-course Valentine's fondue feast!

I ended the night curled up on the couch with my forever valentine, which is honestly the only place that I would want to be. <3

We also had a fun karaoke outing with Mary and her family where we all belted out the tunes and it was a blast! Mary and I slayed 'Like a Prayer.'

Tim also received his commemorative plaque for completing Dragon Age: The Veilguard so here's his official photo with his 8th completed game!

Then after the Family Day long weekend we left on our week-long winter road trip snowboarding mountain adventure vacation!! Now that Archie is a much better snowboarder we were so excited to visit all of our favourite mountains in one trip! We started in Jasper. I was nervous and there were a lot of feelings involved. It was our first time back visiting since the fire in July. The damage is really bad. A massive portion of the residential area of the town is gone. Huge expanses of trees are burnt. It was all awful to see but I'm glad that I've finally seen it. On the other hand, so much of what we love in Jasper is still there. Everything seems more normal than you would expect. I was worried that it would feel different somehow but it really didn't. It felt so good to be back!

Our first day of riding was at Marmot Basin! This is like our hometown hill. We know it the best and we come here the most. It feels very comfortable and familiar. I even did a black diamond!

Top of the mountain! 7,460 feet!

We stayed at the Forest Park Hotel, which is our favourite hotel (that isn't a cabin) in Jasper. It's where we held our wedding reception! It felt so good to be in the town again. We ate at a great new restaurant called The Maligne Range as well. I kept saying that I want to move to Jasper for several weeks in the summer and just live there. After a drive down the magnificent Icefields Parkway, our next stop was Golden in BC. It had been years since we'd visited! Our second day of riding was at Kicking Horse! This hill always used to be our favourite and it was so wonderful to be back and to get to take Archie. It was very snowy! Both Tim and I did black diamonds!

Top of the mountain! 7,700 feet!

We stayed at Winston Lodge, which is our favourite cozy mountain chalet. It's one of those places in my life that always feels surreal to return to, especially after a long time away. We also loved getting to have dinner at Eagle's Eye once again, Canada's most elevated restaurant at the top of the mountain. Such a magical spot which I have missed a lot!

Our next and final stop was Banff. You can't go wrong with the beauty in Banff, that's for sure! We loved getting to explore the town and I was so happy to get to spend some quality time with Lacey (who lives in Canmore) as well! <3 We stayed at the Mount Royal Hotel which was perfectly located right in the center of town.

Our third day of riding was at Sunshine Village! It always used to be one of our favourites and it's a huge place with three mountains and tons of options. It was also quite snowy! We all did a black diamond!

Top of the mountain! 8,954 feet!

The most eye-opening part of this snowboarding journey for me was that I couldn't believe how much better of a snowboarder that I am now! I feel so much more confidence on my snowboard, more than ever before. It's surprising to say, but I am a far better snowboarder in my 40s than I was in my 20s. By a lot! My stamina is better and my skills are better. I've been snowboarding for quite a long time now and I am certainly at my best. It's very exciting! I'm proud of myself! I can't wait for more!

Once back home it was all about reintegrating into real life and settling back into the usual routine. Candice was in town from Saskatoon and it was great to get to spend some time with her! <3

Also. McDavid's.

March and April should be quite a lot more chill and I think that a more low-key early spring will be nice.

Life with Archie: Archie was a social butterfly this month with many engagements with friends! He celebrated his friend Silas' birthday as well as his friend Keaton's birthday. And he rang in the Lunar New Year with his friend Brendan!

Archie built a Valentines Candy Box at the latest Kids Workshop at Home Depot and also a Valentine's Day Heart at a LEGO free-build event.

Archie always enjoys partaking in the special themes on holidays. On Valentine's Day his school had Wear Red, Pink & White Day and of course there was also an appropriately matched lunch!

Of course Archie had a blast being on the road in the mountains! It has been so great to see how well he can keep up in snowboarding and we're really living the dream now that we can all ride together. Archie is really solid on his heel edge and is getting better at turning and carving. He even rode his first black diamond! Here are Archie's mountain highlights:

There were also some school events. First was Celebration of Learning where we got to go into Archie's class and see a bunch of his work. His teacher says that he is doing very well so that was great to hear. And next was Carnaval (which I volunteer for each year), a super fun French Canadian event that happens annually - they even have their own Bonhomme!

And finally, some other highlights from the rest of the month included eating sushi, doing a boiling water experiment outside, PD Day breakfast, and losing another tooth!

A very fun month overall! Feeling very grateful to be living this life. It's MARCH! I know that there's still plenty of winter ahead but something about it being March already feels like we are moving into spring. (It's 9° today, after all.) We are going to be attending Cirque du Soleil: Crystal and I am very excited!! This will be Archie's first Cirque! I also have a ticket to The (M) Factor Film Screening Party and Panel Discussion at Metro Cinema. It's a film screening about menopause followed by a panel discussion - again give me ALL of the good menopause events! Tim and I have a super fun date night this month - first dinner at the always amazing Fu's Repair Shop (they were just awarded Best Overall Restaurant in Edmonton and Area for the second year in a row!) followed by the Scott Pilgrim vs. the World The Movie: The Soundtrack: The Tribute Concert. Costumes are encouraged. As you know, all things Scott Pilgrim mean a lot to us, so this wild concert is a must! (In fact, the "Precious Little Life" title of this very blog is a Scott Pilgrim reference.) Archie will have a week off of school for Spring Break but we don't have anything major planned. Tim will actually be going to Montreal on a work trip during that time, because as predicted, the fun trips to Montreal have already begun. Unfortunately, it's also looking like Tim will be going to London as well because his dad hasn't been doing very well. He's been in the hospital for a few weeks with what seems like complications/progression of his Parkinsons. Tim wants to be able to help out because right now his siblings in Ontario are doing everything. It's a pretty crappy situation. And that's it! Another month of life on the horizon!

THIS MONTH’S SHOUT-OUTS!: March 7th is Susan Murphy’s 43rd birthday!

I'm so excited that I'll actually get to celebrate your birthday with you this year on your actual birthday!! It has been so wonderful to have you back in Edmonton but even more wonderful that you're such a present person in my life and truly one of my closest friends. We always were a pretty special duo since day one! Susu + Eriha forever! I hope that you have the BEST day and feel the MOST special! I love you very much! <3 March 12th is Kristen Smith’s 41st birthday!

It has been far too long m'lady!! We need a real life hang out A-STAT! I'm sad that all of our more recent attempts at getting together haven't worked out. I really just want to give you a huge hug already. I hope that your birthday is nothing short of magical and that you feel truly loved and celebrated! You deserve no less! I love you a whole lot so please come to Edmonton and let me eat brunch with you. <3 March 17th is Mary Cox’s 41st birthday!

I don't often let new people in but you were an easy exception because of how effortlessly we glued ourselves to each other! You are now one of my closest friends and I am so grateful for you and everything that you have brought to my life. You said it yourself; we're each other's Edmontonian family, and without either of us having actual family nearby, that means so much. We will definitely celebrate your special day!! Love you!! <3