The Great Escape

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Sometimes a mother just needs a break. Last weekend, I got that and then some! It was entirely what I needed. My sisters and I had been planning our annual sisters’ getaway for weeks months. I say ‘getaway’ only because we typically choose small towns within our province to explore (no fancy overseas high-flying trip). We don’t have options to travel far together (without our families) given the pandemic and scheduling conflicts with life and childcare in general, but no matter the distance, we are always so excited to be away together! We picked the northern town of Thornbury, Ontario as this year’s getaway- a quaint and unique spot known for great restaurants, local gems and a town spa! I had an itinerary planned out down to the very last, meticulous detail.

I’m not at all a religious person but I prayed, with bated breath, that everything would go off without a hitch. I begged The Powers That Be to let no one get COVID (been there done that!), no one to fall ill otherwise, no flat tires, no accidental bookings or lack thereof, and no forced detours. My fierce praying worked (I should really pray more). I remember the morning of the great escape, I sneezed three times and I saw my life the fun flash before my eyes.

My spirit animal, remember?

Anyway, after the dramatics wore off, we got ourselves to our destination safely and we were free birds from there! Our delightful no-responsibilities-no-one-to-bother-us weekend consisted of eating our hearts out and browsing the many antique shops lining the main street. We loved chatting with the locals about food, wine, cheese, plants and exceptional finds. It seemed like everyone knew everybody and they were always looking out for one another. For me, given the state of the world right now, it was so inspiring to see.

The following are some hundreds of photos from the weekend. Can’t help it.

Penny’s Motel

Because food. Oh, and drinks… 

I love a good sign.

In the words of Looney Tunes and Porky Pig, that’s all folks! To those who celebrated, I hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day!

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49 thoughts on “The Great Escape”

    • Thank you so much! Yes, it’s supposed to be annual but the last one we did was October 2021 and this last one was for this year and technically we are not going to do another one until June next year! Sigh… but maybe we can sneak one in before the winter again lol hehe a day-trip I could do!!!! Hope you get to have a break like that at some point sooon! You so deserve it!

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  7. I LOVE this! It reminds me of the long weekend thing I do with my friends every year as well. And we love it so much we’re contemplating now doing twice a year. Same thing, just a little town we’ve never been to, only an hour away or so, Airbnb. It’s a different place every time. And yes, it’s really just eating and being together. All weekend! So restorative! And I love love love all of your pics. Good for u sister, for getting away for that time! Xoxox

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    • Isn’t it amazng!? I just love being able to get away and live a totally different life! LOL I am just a girl walking down the street of a small town looking for stunning plants and delicious cheese! That’s it! LOL A beautiful dream!

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  11. So fun! Happy it worked out for you all! (Yes, praying is good!) What were the balls on the “court” or whatever? Love all the delicious looking food and drinks, the signs, especially that last one. I want that last one! 😛

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      • You are right! I have a getaway with girlfriends every year. We have been friends since our children sang in a high end children’s choir. Music is still our bond, and when our kids got married we did a music performance at every rehearsal dinner. Unlike the music our children sang, our performance was straight out of the ’60s.
        We brought the house down. Really. My goodness, the memories and and events run deep. Here’s to girls weekends!

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    • haha yes, that was one of my favourites too! LOL So true! (most of the time it’s me asking “WHAT?!?!” to my husband when he asks me a questions about Charlotte… like where her hat is, where her pants are, if she has sunscreen, if she had a snack, etc. etc.) lol

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  15. I kept my promise and haven’t blogged for more than 15 minutes in the last two weeks. It sounds like you had a great time with your sisters. My vacation was everything I’d hoped for. I’m flying home tomorrow. I’ve never been gone from my wife this long, and I missed her, though this was a memorable trip.

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    • Aw I am so glad you had a great vacation! I am sure you miss your wife dearly! You definitely kept up your promise of minimal blogging but now that you’re back, please tell us your travel stories!! 🙂 I will live vicariously through it!

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  16. Whoa, those are some pretty fancy pics if I do say so myself. I never took you for a photographer, and now all that talent is coming to the fore. I actually thought I was going to see the face behind the blog for a while there, but no such luck 😛

    Just going away and ditching your life (kinda) behind sounds like an amazing time, and I’m glad you had the weekend to unwind. I don’t know if it’s me though, but the sky there is such a different shade of blue from where I live. Thanks for taking me along on your travels and for sharing, Jen!

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    • Haha I am no photographer, I was just lucky with great backdrop and yummmmy food! *drools* Yep, no pic of me, tbh, I don’t often show up in pics in real life either, lol I simply hate getting my picture taken 🙂

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  17. OMG! Sounds like such a fun getaway!!!! My mum, her sister, and their 2 childhood best friends (who in turn are also sisters) have been going on an annual vacation for the past 15 years. It is so well deserved – to just get away from the hassles of your family cause no matter how well the household work is divided, the mom does bear the brunt of most of it. Plus a trip with your sisters must be so rejuvenating. My sister and I have planned a short getaway end of this month. *fingers crossed that it happens* Love the photos!

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    • Aww I love that your mom still gets to do that and has been doing that for the last decade+! That’s soo amazing! I definitely want to do more of it throughout the year, not just the annual sisters’ getaway! Hope she gets to go *crossing all my digits for her!* 😀

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