Home will always be home

Longest time I’ve/we’ve been away: 3.5 years. Even listening to Newfoundland music with my boys while in California brings a mix of emotions. Doesn’t make me stop turning it on though….the boys love it ????.

The anticipation and excitement of going back home, even if it’s for a limited time, can be a special feeling. It allows you to cherish and appreciate the time spent with loved ones and immerse yourself in the familiar surroundings and experiences.

The feeling of being torn between two places is not uncommon when living away from home. Some days I ache to move home to be close to friends I’ve known for nearly a lifetime. Old neighbours who are like family. Family, grandparents. And of course help with the boys. We have none of that here and it tends to get lonely if I think about it too much. Other times I’m so very content here in beautiful California. Home will always be home, won’t it.

I can’t wait to go back.

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Froze me arse off at Middle Cove Beach

hEADERI guess you can call today’s post a little bit of a throwback Thursday, since these photos were from January! Everyone needed a break from the hustle and bustle of the going-on’s and we decided to head out for some lunch, and sight-seeing.

Laugh-at-MiddleCove

Middle-Cove-BeachIf there’s one thing I hate, it’s being cold. I look like two-tonne-Annie wrapped up in all my gear here in the photos I’m showing you from back home, and ya’know what? What odds what I looked like. I was toasty warm. But those views! Unbeatable, and Middle Cove is always a place I enjoy visiting when I go back home to Newfoundland.

CheersIn fact, I’m wearing my Dad’s sweater underneath my coat :) I took it back with me, to California too. I wear it when I want to be close with him. It works!

Middle-Cove

HugsMom, My husband and I took a trip out to Middle Cove beach after a feed of fish’n’ chips with my husbands parents, shortly after my Father passed away. If you’ve never been to By The Beach restaurant overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, and Bell Island, with the crashing waves against The Rock (Newfoundland’s nick name, if you’re unfamiliar) you’re missing out. Not one person I spoke to, didn’t like their good ol’ feed. I’m not one to ask which place is best for a fish’n chips spot because I don’t like the stuff (I know, am I really a true Newfoundlander?). I ordered chicken’ n chips … it was equally as tasty!Ice-waterfall

It was a blistering cold day, but we took a detour on our way home with our full bellies, and drove to Middle Cove Beach where we had a time giggling and taking pictures and simply relaxing after a stressful January.

Love seeing Mr. Spiffykerms look and feel so relaxed. Smiling-at-sea

Ice(All photos taken by my Mom…and edits by me. Sorry Mom!)

Middle Cove Beach
Logy Bay-Middle Cove-Outer Cove, NL A1K 5A7, Canada

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Snowshoeing in Pippy Park

GrinI’m going on week 7 of being here in St. John’s Newfoundland, and I’m making the most of spending time up here in my old hometown during this super cold Canadian winter. Last weekend my climbing buddy Lori (who visited me last year for our Yosemite Climbing trip!) and I went snowshoeing around Pippy Park.

NancysnowshoeLori already owned snowshoes, and me being illprepared for how long I was going to be home, didn’t have much snow-gear besides a winter coat and hat. So just like old times, she brought over everything for me to wear to snowshoe.

PippyParkI wore her Arc’teryx snow pants, and her two shell jackets that were super warm, along with a buff to put around my neck, and I even wore her mittens. Man, what a pal… let me tell ya. I had a time! I didn’t even have proper footwear to wear (I leave my UGGs at home, and I only brought my riding boots which aren’t insulated). So I popped on my Mother’s winter boots and went off for a bit of snowshoeing.

LoriNancyoutAt Pippy Park you can rent your gear whether it be cross country skiis, or snowshoes + poles by the hour. They keep your ID and once you get back you pay your fee. It’s so inexpensive too: $5.00/hour. We ended up doing all the loops of the trails (about 4 or 5 loops) and we were going at obviously a walking pace, stopping to take photos, and to chat – and it still was only about an hour to do it all. So for $5.00 and a bit of fun, it was well worth it!

NancyArmsUpI filmed some footage of our adventure, but I don’t have the software here on my Mom’s computer to upload it to YouTube, so that’ll have to wait until I get back to California.

InCar(By the way, had a family friend ask me if anyone in St. John’s was paying me to shout out to local companies. They are not. No one knows I am writing about them … and I don’t get paid for ANY blogging I do – so I suppose you can honestly say you can trust my judgement when I mention places? Lol)

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