Another month has come and gone... where is the summer going?! We have been SO busy, and it has only just begun. In the dash of sparkle for July we are going to tell you all about some trips that we went on, a restaurant recommendation, what you might have missed on the blog, and a bunch more!
British Columbia Trip
We hit the road bright and early at the end of June and made our once a year trek out to Whiterock, British Columbia. It takes about 11 hours of straight driving to get over the rock pile (Rocky Mountains), and I have done the drive so many times I can practically do it with my eyes closed.
We woke up at the crack of dawn the first day we were in Vancouver, loaded up the car and headed downtown. We rode our bikes around Stanley Park and the seawall. It is so SO gorgeous around there. At the time the ride didn't seem too bad, but as I was writing this post and I mapped it. According to the map it was about a 25 km bike ride!
We spent 4 days there hanging out with a whole bunch of family. We had a great time, and I am never ready to leave! I have always said I would live there someday...
Here's a little Photo Album of our time in Vancouver
A little backstory behind this last picture. We were driving down main street and I saw this eagle perched perfectly on a giant piece of driftwood. We stopped and hopped out of the car but the eagle was so far out, there was no way my camera zoom was getting close enough. So I dragged Ed down the rocks and a few hundred yards out into the tide pools to get a picture!
Restaurant Recommendation!
This review is not sponsored!
There is this little pizza place called Emilio Finatti Pizzeria on Pacific Ave in Whiterock. A few years ago Ed suggested that we swing in there for some pizza one night, and our pizza lives were forever changed!
The atmosphere of the little shop is just like what I would imagine walking into a pizza shop in Italy to be like. They serve up outstanding pizza, and they coat their crust in honey butter, WHAT! If you are in the area, this little pizzeria has to be at the top of your list to check out!
This is the Garlic Chicken pizza, definitely my favorite. We have also tried the pepperoni, Margherita, Hawaiian, and the Godfather, and they are all amazing. I am convinced you can't get a bad flavor from this place!
Second leg of the trip
After that we turned around and drove out to the Okanagan to visit more family! It works out great because the second drive is only about 3 ½ hours. We spent another 4 days in the beautiful Okanagan, eating way to much ice cream, and having way to much fun.
While we were out in the Okanagan I picked up my annual cherry haul. The crops were small this year, which in turn meant higher prices. So I didn't end up with as much as usual, but I did get enough for a few Cherry Rum Pies and Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake Bars!
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This trip has become a tradition of ours and one that we look forward to every summer.
Camping in Kananaskis Country
Mid way through the month we went on our 3rd? 4th? camping trip this year! We are so blessed that we can be out in this paradise in under 2 hours from our doorstep!
This is by far our favorite area. Ever. I mean...
This camping trip we did a little differently, we went by ourselves! This is something we do not do often enough. It was so lovely to have a whole weekend, just the two of us, no cell service, and no expectations! Trust me, we love camping with friends and family, but sometimes it's just nice to get away from literally everyone and everything!
On this camping trip I had to shoot the Campfire Spinach and Artichoke Dip and it WOULD NOT STOP RAINING. After I got extremely aggravated, I just decided to cook it and take the pictures anyways. This dip is AH-MAZING but I was just not in the mood, it was freezing cold outside, we were soaking wet, and I kept having to spoon rain water out of the dip. But hey, I got the pictures! And you would have never known ?
A few other things
We had some family photos done at the end of this month. We haven't taken a "professional" family photo in probably 22 years, maybe longer... All of a sudden my mom got a bee in her bonnet and booked them, at 7 am on a Sunday morning... I had to bargain for this time, she originally wanted 6 AM! We haven't gotten the images back yet, but when we do, I will be sure to share a few, the photographer we worked with was great!
I also read a book! This is a big deal for me. I was telling a co-worker how I only read one book a year, and that's always only over the summer holidays. I forgot how much I love to read, and now it is something that I am intentionally incorporating into my routine (well trying to ?). The book I read was "Where the Crawdads Sing" by Delia Owens. I LOVED IT and I would recommend it to anyone!!
New Recipes on the blog
Did you miss any of these super awesome recipes on the blog in July?! I had a cream cheese theme going on this month... I am not sure why, and I didn't realize it until now. But you don't want to miss these!
- Chipotle Pineapple Chicken Tacos
- Cream Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast
- Campfire Spinach & Artichoke Dip
- Maple Walnut and Honey Granola
- Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake Bars
- +more!
That's all for July! August is CRAZY for us, and we have A LOT planned. See you back here next month!
P.S. In a few days the blog will be 9 months old (WHAT?!) and I am sharing a super delicious summer drink recipe to celebrate. Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss it!
We would love to hear if you tried this recipe! We put a lot of work into our recipes and love to hear how they worked for you! To get a hold of us, you can shoot us an email or leave a comment down below! We can also be found on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest.
April Page says
Great post! Love reading about all the fun things you did in July. Sounds like a pretty awesome summer. 🙂
Jessica says
Thank you! I defiantly cant complain!