Shift Mama

Hiking Okanagan: Bear Creek Canyon Trail

This year The Husband and I set some  adventure/lifestyle/get healthy goals, and what's the best way to be accountable and (hopefully) follow through on them???  Post them for the world to see! 

These outdoor adventure goals technically are The Husband's,  but since we are a team I'm just going to go ahead and report on them through the year and share what we learn with you!  

The Goals: 

1. 10 hikes
2. 10 bike rides (not commute to work rides)
3. 10 paddles 

I'm pretty sure we can get these done, even with the usual July-August extreme heat and forest fire smoke in the air breaks that we traditionally need to take. 

Today we kicked it all off with a local, easy (?), winter hike. 

Bear Creek Canyon Trail

According the brochure available on the Provincial Park website, The Canyon Trail is a "Popular, but slightly demanding, hike offering spectacular views of the creek and surrounding areas".  It also mentions that the trail takes about an hour, signage at the trail head indicates that it takes about 2.5 hours.  We did it in less than two.  We also missed the "slightly demanding" part when reading the information. 

Location: Bear Creek Provincial Park is located about 7km from West Kelowna on Westside Road.  It's an easy drive from Kelowna and West Kelowna and a popular hike - even in the winter.  

Parking:  There is parking at the trail head - in the winter parking is across the road but it looks like in the summer there would also be limited parking on both sides of the road as well as in the Provincial Park as well.  This is a well travelled highway so watch for vehicles if you need to cross the road. 

Good Trail Map from the trail head - lots of options for different lengths of hiking.

The Trail:  I think in the spring, summer, and fall the trail would be rated low to moderate difficulty.  There is quite a bit of elevation gain and loss as you walk so average fitness level, good footwear, and proper hydration is required.  In the winter proper footwear is crucial.  We discovered pretty early on (within minutes) of walking that my old boots had close to zero tread left on them so there was a lot slipping and sliding! Portions of the trail obviously see heavy water flow through the year and sections of the trail had layers of ice covered by snow.   I've seen a few Kelowna based sites (including the Tourism Kelowna one) mentioning hiking along/on  the creek to the waterfall - I'd caution against this.  The weekend we did this hike was immediately following some of the coldest weather we've seen in a long time (we're talking -23 with windchill) and we could see areas of the creek where the ice had not fully formed and when our 70lb dog ventured onto the ice when the trail passed close to creek we could see cracks under her.   Stay off the ice and just admire the frozen falls from above. 

We stopped for a snack and tea break, and a nice view of the lake!

There are a lot of stairs.  A lot. And many sections of the trail are quite close to the edge with a steep drop off, so if you go and are taking small children keep a close eye on them, especially during the winter.  

One of the many sets of stairs along this trail.

We saw one outhouse just under 1km from the trail head.  There were no other facilities and we didn't see any garbage bins along the trail.  If you go please be prepared to pack out all of your garbage (including dog poop if you take your dog).  There are garbage and recycling bins at the trail head. 

 

2018 Year In Review

Happy 2019 Everyone! 

2018 was a great year for the ShiftMama family.  We had lots of changes and adventures this year year and we're looking forward to what the next 12 months bring! 

As usual I'll start the year off with setting a new blog intention, and then like all other years probably switch that up (several times) through the year.  I think this is the year that I get back to food blogging with a touch of working mom wisdom (and failure) thrown in for good measure.   Not sure if I can get back to the one new recipe a week plan that this blog started as but I'll give it a shot!

We've been living the shift life (with my husband working fly in fly out shift rotations) for so long that it's all just normal now but I'll try to post tips and tricks about being shift mom when I come up with any new ones. 

But now for the main purpose of this post:  12 pictures to try and capture what happened for us in 2018!

January 

Family ski days are a big part of why we moved to the Okanagan.

Well of course it starts out with a skiing picture.  We skied last season at Big White. This was a rare weekend of sun, The Husband was home and we skied Saturday and Sunday so we could complete as many blue runs for Cruz the Blues as we could.  It was a great weekend and reminded us how much fun skiing as a family is.  January was mostly full of ski weekends, synchronized swimming practices, and a shift change for me to start working from 5am to 1:30pm so I could be home for The Kid after school.  

January was also when I posted this awesome slice and bake cookie recipe - mix it up and freeze it for emergencies! Slice and Bake Cookies.

February

Even though we didn't see a lot of sun we still had some epic ski days.

More skiing, a little less sun and the start of our plan to switch ski hills for 2019.  No blog posts in February though.  

March 

Winter is short in the Okanagan, sunny hiking afternoons in Mid-March.

The really cool thing about getting off work at 1:30 every day is that I can get home and get out to walk the dog.  We started taking longer walks and then those switched into hikes in the hills behind the house.  This old car keeps getting smaller and smaller each year and I wonder how much of it will be there when we start hiking up there again this Spring. 

In March I also tried to revive Friday Food Fun by posting about places to grab lunch around where I work.  This is a challenge though because my lunch is a 9am.  I did find this really great spot of quick breakfast sandwiches that was worthy of a share.  Sandwich Co. 

 April 

More sunny afternoon spring hiking, taking the trail to look over the neighbourhood.

More hikes in April.  We hit high teens and low 20s (celsius) in April so it is perfect for hiking.  This trail leads out to a rocky point that overlooks the whole Glenmore area of Kelowna.  The dog of course loves our adventures!  

In April I started to make my own breakfast burritos.  They freeze so well and take about a minute and a half in the microwave at work to heat up.  I highly recommend these! Make and Freeze Breakfast Burritos. 

May

Teammates make the best friends.

The regular Synchronized Swimming season wrapped up for The Kid.  She had a great individual year but her team routine fell apart and we learned all about competitive parents and how that type of parenting style can really (negatively) impact the entire team.  The Kid still loves the sport and went to on to compete at the BC Summer Games.   

May was also Bike To Work week and a great kick off for me to get on my bike and ride.  I got asked to write about it as well ! Bike to Work Week.  

June

Is there anything better than napping in a hammock?

Summer Games practice started for the kid in June.  We spent a lot of weekends in Kamloops but still managed to get a little camping in.  I'll have to get The Kid her own hammock this year though - she discovered the magic of hammock napping on this trip.  We also got soaked (and I mean SOAKED) on this trip!

My garden also started to take off in June and I realized I had way more sunflowers than anticipated so I posted this roasted sunflower seed recipe in advance of the fall harvest. 

July

This Kid loves Archery (and her new bow).

July was more synchro practices as well as the actual games, but the memory that stands out most is seeing The Kid really loving her new sport of archery. 

No posts in July - there was just not a lot of free time in the lead up to BC Summer Games. 

August 

Hanging out at the beach on Slocan Lake.

We escaped the smoke cover in the Okanagan for a bit less smoke in the Kootenays for a weekend in August. It was nice to get away and relax with family  over the August long weekend.  

Last summer we also got out to a few wineries, without the kid though, so that makes my Is Your Kid Wineing posts a bit different...basically all the ones we visited are best visited without kids, as I maintain in every post about wineries, the Okanagan is welcoming of families and we've never been to any wineries where kids were unwelcome but honestly, wineries are not somewhere that kids really love. 

September

An afternoon of flights at some of the local Craft Breweries in Kelowna.

The smoke lingered into September this year, but The Husband and I ventured out to visit the local craft breweries in Kelowna.  It was really weird that we had only been to one of them so we had to fix that.  It was a great afternoon and definitely something that should be on anyones Kelowna Must Do list, unless you don't like beer. Kelowna Brewery Tour. 

October

Fintry Falls: Did I mention there were stairs?

I realized that even though we've lived her for five years, The Husband had never been out to Fintry Falls.  This is a standard easy hike that "everyone" does.  October is still really nice in the Okanagan so we made the drive and walked up alllllllllll the steps to the top of the falls and then followed the easy hiking path back down.  More of these adventures to come in 2019!

Not a lot of blog posts through the fall though, too busy walking up stairs I guess. 

November

Hawaii Vacation 2018.

Hawaii.  We took our biannual tropical family vacation.  Lots of sun, beaches, and family time. 

December

So much snow....reminding me that my ski pants aren't really waterproof anymore.

And we finish the year with Skiing.  We switched hills and look forward to skiing, cross country skiing, snowshoeing and tubing at Silverstar Mountain Resort this year.  So far we haven't seen any sun filled days, but for the most part (unlike our time at Big White) we have had decent visibility.  We also found an amazing bakery at the hill for mid morning snack, so what more could we ask for!? 

Oh and I bought an Instant Pot so get ready for those food posts in 2019!  Instant Pot Mac and Cheese. 

How to have a low key (but still memorable) New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve - the last big party of the year, saying good bye to the previous year and hello to a brand new one! 

We're not huge New Year's Eve partiers and more often than not my husband has to fly back to work on New Year's Day so our celebrations usually wrap up around 10pm (I know, we're super exciting). But not to worry, even though our celebrations wrap up around 10 we still cram a lot of great food and Okanagan living into New Year's! 

Food: 

Racelette - this is one of the many amazing traditions and ideas that I continue to love from my time in Switzerland.  Racelette is a special type of cheese and method of melting that cheese.  Like the other famous Swiss dish - fondue - Raclette is all about taking your time and enjoying the company thatuou are with, as well as the food.   Other great ideas would be to make your own pizza (buy a pre-made crust), set up a taco bar and let everyone create there own, or even keep it simple with a home made charcuterie platter to let everyone just leisurely snack and catch up.  

Raclette!

Drink

The Okanagan Valley has a lot of great Bubbly (Sparkling Wine) to choose from.  Check out Summerhill for their Cipes Brut or for a fun (less expensive) Bubbly Social from Intrigue, or just get what you like - sometimes we even venture away from local wine (gasp - I know but it's true!)  And don't forget about the kids, we've found some great sparkling fruit juices at the BC Tree Fruits market (and Save On as well). 

Celebrate: 

If we're lucky and News Years Eve doesn't fall on a work day we kick off the day with a family ski.  New Years Eve is typically when winter holidays start to wrapping up at the hill, everyone is still in a festive mood but lines can be shorter than other days over the holiday. 

Downtown Kelowna for the party and fireworks.  Kelowna has a "New York New Years Eve" party.  It took three years for someone to explain to me that the New York refers to the fact that the fireworks go off at 9pm here, which is midnight in New York. That is really the only New York thing about the party!  The fireworks cap off the event at 9pm, leaving everyone with plenty of time to head off to other New Year's celebrations, or just to head home to warm up. 

The After Party

After the fireworks we head home and try and stay awake - this I think is every working parent's New Years Eve challenge!   We've discovered that setting up our favourite games, Seven Wonders, Ticket to Ride or Settlers of Catan helps us stay awake and enjoy the last few hours of the year.  

In Kelowna you'll also notice that your neighbourhood might have some extra fire works.  Over the year the additional fireworks have increased from a short three or four bursts of fire works to several minutes of pyrotechnics. The only issue is - we never know which direction they are coming from and it takes a bit of running from room to room to get a good view! 

How ever you spend New Years I hope it is filled with Family, Food, and Fun! 

Cheers!

 

 

Where Shall We Eat Jar...Version Three

If you've been following the blog for a while this jar might look familiar: 

The What Shall We Eat Jar - Lunch Version!

It's the Where Shall We Eat Jar.  Over the past couple of years we've used this jar to help me in a few ways - 1. With the other half living the Fly In Fly Out work schedule I really (really) needed a guilt free reason to go out for dinner at least once a week and 2. We needed to be sure to not just go to the same place over and over and over.  So the Where Shall We Eat Jar was born,  first in St. Albert and then on to Kelowna.  Here's how the jar works:  we write down the names of restaurants that we think sound interesting and place them in jar, then once a week draw a name out of the jar and go there to eat.  Simple but also slightly brilliant.  The choice of where to eat is made by chance, eliminating the whole "where should we eat" discussion and decision making. 

My latest version of the jar comes thanks to both my new work schedule and the Husband's new schedule.  I'm working on Ontario time (even though we're in BC) so my day starts at 5am and ends at 1:30pm.  The husband is now essentially on a 2 and 2 schedule (2 weeks away, 2 weeks home).  This combined means that we have a lot more time together and can take advantage of all the great local eateries that are open for lunch!  

We'll start in the new year, and so far here's the list.  I'm always looking for recommendations and of course will keep you updated and where we're eating and what we think.  

Illichmann's

QB Gelato (they do lunch too!)

Woodfire Bakery 

Vice and Virtue

Okanagan Street Food

Momo

Mad Mango 

Jammery (for lunch)

MontREALfood

Hobo 

 

 

 

Kelowna Brewery Tour

It took us all summer to find a weekend when we could finally visit the new Kelowna Craft Breweries (and honestly some of them aren't even that new anymore) but we finally did it!

It's been a super smoky summer, which means a lot of the usual weekend activities, like hiking and kayaking, are not as enjoyable as they should be so we opted instead to a mini beer tour.  We spread it out over two days (because why not!) and had a great time sampling some great new beer. 

Day One:

Red Bird Brewing

 Our first stop of the tour was Red Bird Brewing.  I love following these guys on social media, it just seems like such a fun place and they've done a great job making it really visually striking spot, it's great for photos and is very visible from the road - we sat on the patio and watched several cars either stop almost in the road or circle back to park after seeing it as they drove by. 

This brewery had the largest menu of all that we went to, but we made a rookie mistake and didn't look closely enough - Red Bird has their own beer, plus some partners on tap.  So we ended up only trying one or two of their own beer and a few of beer from other places,  which was a bit disappointing but we'll know better next time. 

Red Bird often (maybe always?) has a food truck parked outside which was a nice addition, considering it was lunch time and we were hungry, as well as snacks to purchase to go along with your selection.  I opted for the pretzel and my husband order fish tacos from the Surf Side California food truck.  Both good choices, but I think my pretzel with  the spice mustard on the side was the best food selection. 

Favourite Beer: Antipsipation IPA 

Also really liked the the flight carrier (is that what it is called?) had a little chalk board to mark the number of the glass, this matched with a picture of the menu board, make it really easy to remember what we were trying. 

Red Bird Beer menu, lots to choose from, just wish there was an indication of which were their own brews.

Red Bird Flight and a pretzel with mustard.

Vice & Virtue Brewing Co

 The newest on the Kelowna Brewery scene, Vice & Virtue has only been open a few months but already has a solid following and quite a few of their own beer on tap. 

The day we were there Vice & Virtue had five beer on tap, but flights of four. No worries though - our server offered a fifth taster for a small extra charge, letting us try everything on tap that day (great upsell!)

We were too early for food service that day, the kitchen opens at 3pm, so only had a chance to smell the deliciousness that was in smoker.   I have been back to Vice and Virtue a few times with friends from work and have had a chance to sample some of the menu options - most recently the pork bites (great) and next time definitely will order the Smoked Brisket Sandwich. 

Favourite beer: On that day, Humble Canuck was the favourite.  My most recent visit was the day that Love Potion #2 was released and it has taken top spot for me of favourite beer.   As I'm writing this I am actually regretting not getting a growler of Love Potion #2 on Friday when I was there...luckily there is always tomorrow! 

I think the only down side for us (aside from being too early for food that day) is that because the space is all cement and open concept, so it can get really noisy  - making it a bit difficult to have a conversation.  I'm sure as the space fills with some art work and other items to help absorb the sound that will resolve itself though. 

Vice & Virtue Beer Menu

 

Flight from Vice & Virtue, flight of 4 plus an extra so we could sample everything on tap that day. 

 

On a return visit the kitchen was open and I decided on pork bites to go along with their latest offering: Love Potion #2

Day Two

Kettle River Brewing Co.

 I think of all the breweries in Kelowna I like the feel of this one most.  They've tried really hard to give it a retro fishing cabin type feel, lots of wood, plaid, and outdoorsy decor fills the space and made us feel at home.   I could see Kettle River Brewing becoming a regular stop for us, especially through the fall and winter when that cabin-homy feel really matches the season.  

Kettle River only had four beer on tap, but all four were their own so cannot complain too much.  I had really hoped that something would have really knocked our socks off here because I love the design on their growler and would have purchased a growler had something really wowed us. As it turns out, the stout was our favourite of the day, but I'm not really sold on just under 2l of stout in the middle of the summer.  We'll likely be back later in the fall to see what else is on tap. 

Kettle River occasionally has a food truck parked outside to provide a most substantial food offering with your flight.  There wasn't one there that day, but they did have some great snacks most notably,  pretzels and locally made Aussie meat pies. 

Favourite of the day: Under The Weather Chocolate Milk Stout 

Kettle River Menu

 

Kettle River Flight

Other Stops: 

We have in the past visited both of the two larger and more main stream breweries in town: BNA and The Beer Institute (by Tree Brewing) have been around for a couple of years now and are also great places to stop in for a beer and a bite.  We didn't visit them on this weekend, so I don't have recent information to share (like favourite beer). 

BNA is one of our favourite date night stops - they have a great food menu and an extensive beer menu as well.  It's an interesting spot to hang out at with a variety of seats ranging from standard tables, to couches and comfy chairs.    BNA is family friendly (minors allowed until 10pm) and has shuffle board and a bowling alley to add to an extra layer of fun to the visit.

BNA Flight, I think this my favourite shape for a flight so far, but was surprised that there were only three tasters.

The Beer Institute is located just off the Delta along the lake.  It's a cozy spot with communal tables and a great spot to catch up with friends over a flight or pint.  We haven't been recently, and although they are shutting down their local brewing operation I'm sure the atmosphere at the Institue will remain as relaxed and should remain as a stop on any Kelowna Brewing Beer tour.  

Tree Brewing Co Flight

Friday Food Fun: Sunny's - A Modern Diner

We are long time fans of RauDZ  in Kelowna (and the other restaurants that they operate: Micro and Terrafina at Hester Creek Winery) so were super excited to hear that they were expanding to open another restaurant in Kelowna.  Sunny's - A Modern Diner opened in late spring and is aimed at the breakfast and lunch crowd and is way more family friendly than their other locations: The Kid has eaten with us at Terrafina during an adventure down to Osoyoos, and although minors are welcome at RauDZ it is really best enjoyed in the company of adults.  Micro is 19+ so she'll have to wait a few more years.  

Sunny's is one of the few locations on Bernard that really feels family friendly to me.  That's not to say that many other restaurants in the downtown area don't welcome families, it's just that it seems most establishments are focused on drawing tourists down for drinks after a day boating or wine touring.  Great for the summer economy but doesn't do a lot to continue to draw locals down when the tourists head out in September. 

Anyway - we made our way down to Sunny's bright and early in mid-June to check it out.  Although it was before 8am we weren't alone at Sunny's there were several other groups already there enjoying the relative quiet of downtown Kelowna before the weekend really takes off.  

We are early risers, so definitely count ourselves as breakfast people.  The menu had a lot to chose from and I personally loved that coffee came in large cups - no tiny 1/2 cup size vessels here!   We did appreciate the assistance of our server translating some of the diner lingo for us - we ordered Chicks on a Raft, Cluck and Grunt, and BBBenny & the Jets  (check the menu link for translation!) 

We also decided that  we had to order the breakfast poutine to share (you only live once, right??).  It was too much food but it's was a fun time trying four different dishes. 

Cluck and Grunt and Breakfast Poutine at Sunny's

Everyone enjoyed what they ordered, the breakfast poutine turned out to be the least favourite of all the dishes, but we still enjoyed it but it just didn't have enough heat melt the curds, loved the fried egg on top though!   We also really enjoyed seeing that a few of the dishes on the menu are also found in The Okanagan Table cookbook, which we already own and have since tried replicating a few of the breakfast/lunch dishes - the favourite there being what Sunny's calls Chicks on a Raft, but the cookbook has listed as Sharp Cheddar Scramble on PB Toast (Chicks on a Raft has a better ring to it), we have some how taken to calling it Chicks on a Stick at our house, likely a throw back to our days at Panorama Ski Resort where there was a ladies day ski group called Chicks on Sticks. 

Sunny's is a fun, relatively quick service, restaurant with cheery atmosphere and just steps from the lake front.  It's a great addition to Bernard and hopefully a step in the right direction towards bringing families back to Bernard. 

Sunn'y Decor is light and welcoming

 

 

Type:  Breakfast/Lunch, Family 

Kid Friendly: Yes, we had out daughter with us and several other tables had kids with them as well.  Breakfast is one of the most kid friendly meals I find! 

Wifi: Uncertain, however I am pretty sure that the wifi from the Tim Hortons two stores down would reach. 

Budget Friendly:  Moderate 

Special Diet Options:  Unknown

Reservations Required:  Nope

Would Visit Again: Yes, we'll head down again in the offseason for lunch or maybe just to sample a milkshake

 

Roasted Sunflower Seeds

The garden is growing like crazy again this year, and already I can see we'll have a lot of sunflowers....a lot! 

Last year I planted a row of Russian Giant Sunflowers along one of our fences and when the label says GIANT - they aren't kidding!  The flower heads were enormous and produced a lot of seeds.  

I did manage to harvest quite a few seeds in the fall before the birds got to all of them, I think I harvested about four heads of seeds and left the rest to dry and them moved them from the wide open garden to a more sheltered space for the birds to feed on uninterrupted by the neighbours cats through the fall and early winter.  Of course as a result of moving the flower heads around, and the birds, we seem to have scattered seeds throughout the garden and now have more sunflowers growing than expected! 

Birds got to these sunflowers before I could. Is it just me though or does it look like this sunflower is wearing googles?

So, although were a few months from harvest time I wanted to share the process I used last year for roasting the seeds.   I did a fair bit of research last fall into the different ways people roast their seeds and decided that brining the seeds ahead of roasted sounded like the best idea, and I was not disappointed! 

Smaller type of Sunflower from the garden last year.

 

Set up the brine:  I kept mine simple last year just using a salt brine,  but this fall I think I might get more creative!  

4 cups water

½ cup sea salt 

Boil until salt is dissolved, add 4 cups of seeds, simmer for 30 minutes.  

 

After the seeds have simmered for 30 minutes (it's ok to simmer a bit longer),   drain,  and let them dry on paper towel to absorb all the excess moisture.  I think this year I'll probably also be sure to do this on a hot sunny day and let the sun help with the drying process as it does take a long time! 

Once dry:  Roast on sheet pan, 325 degrees for  at least 25 to 30 minutes.  Shake pan/flip seeds regularily to get even roast.  Depending on your oven and how spread apart the seeds are they might roast at different times, I found the seeds on the outer edge roasted faster, so I would remove those and then spread out the seeds again before putting the rest back in. 

 Let them cool and then enjoy!   

In a few months this will be the back garden view - harvest season!

 

Friday Food Fun: The Sandwich Company

It's funny how the busier we get the more I feel the need to grab a quick meal (that someone else cooks) and yet just can't seem to get the time to go out!  

My work schedule has changed slightly giving me more time home in the evenings, so really I do have lots of time to cook dinner (even if I don't want to) so instead of a dinner out Friday Food Fun I've got something slightly different! Friday Food Fun - The Breakfast Edition! 

The Sandwich Company is located in the Landmark Buildings in Kelowna, they are in building directly across from the one I work in, so it's a quick two minute walk over to grab a Sandwich, soup, poutine, or breakfast.  A lot of my friends dash over for lunch and I have in the past also stopped in for a sandwich, they have ready made ones as well as a selection of other sandwiches and burgers that you can order from the menu.  I've done both and have enjoyed everything I've ordered, although admittedly they are a bit over my usual under $10 for lunch budget. 

 Breakfast options on the other hand are bit closer to my budget.  The Sandwich Company has three breakfast offerings (plus assoted muffins, pastries and standard items like toast).  I've had two of the three and have been happy with both of them. 

The Eggie Sandwich:  Standard breakfast sandwich with a bit of a surprise with the addition of of their tomato bacon jam adding combination of sweet and tangy bite to the breakfast.  Although I do prefer a crunchier bread for my breakfast sandwiches (like an english muffin or toasted biscuit) the bun was tasty and altogether this was a filling breakfast for just over $5. 

More impressive (and filling) is The Bowl.  Two fried eggs served over a sweet potato and potato hash with mushrooms and spinach.  With the runny egg yolk I couldn't help but thing of this as a breakfast poutine (minus the cheese).  Super filling and a great blend of flavours and textures. This so far is my favourite breakfast/lunch dish.  The Bowl is $6 (or maybe $6.50?) and totally worth it.   I was running late the day I had this one, so no picture unfortunately - you'll just have to trust me when I say it was great. 

 

Type:  Bistro/Cafe

Kid Friendly: Yes, but being located in an office building environment the hours are Mon-Friday 9 to 4 so don't plan on visiting over the weekend.

Wifi: Yes

Budget Friendly:   Moderately, you can find cheaper sandwiches out there but also more expensive.

Special Diet Options:  I believe so.  I think there are some gluten free options. 

Reservations Required:  No

Would Visit Again:  Yes 

 

Friday Food Fun: Bliss Bakery Bernard

I really had no idea Kelowna had so many great local coffee shops and bakeries to chose from until I really started to look.  Bliss Bakery has been a favourite of ours since we first moved here, but I realized I have never share the love! 

Bliss Bakery has a four locations to visit (plus a fifth location where they make all the food for the retail location) so if you don't want to venture into downtown Kelowna to check out this amazing option, no problem - you can visit them in West Kelowna or Peachland. 

We usually head to the location on Ellis, but recently stopped in for a coffee and treat on a Sunday morning at the Bernard location.  It's just steps from the lake, so was the perfect stop for us after a winter lakeside walk. 

Bliss Bakery - Sunday Morning Coffee and Cookie

Both the Bernard and Ellis locations have a warm and cozy feel to them, with lots of seating (as far as coffee shops/bakeries go).  We have never been disappointed with the treats that we have chosen, and so far each time we've picked something new so we don't have favourites to share with you yet ....  there are just so many things to try that it is too soon to pick a favourite.    I can recommend the peanut butter chocolate chunk cookie though (in case you are stumped and need help choosing!). 

Bars, Tarts, and Other Goodies at the Ellis Location

 

So Many Cookies to Choose From!

We loved the atmosphere of the Bernard location, it has several different areas to it - the front/middle with standard tables and chairs - prefect for a quick bite. The back area has a collection of comfortable arm chairs and a relaxed coffee house feel which would be great for catching up with friends over a coffee.  They also have another room tucked off to the side that can be reserved for meetings or gatherings which I think is a really great idea - Kelowna is really lacking in meeting places for small groups so think this will get a lot of use! 

Cozy Seating at Bliss

 

More Seating at the Front of Bliss Bakery

 

Quick Review Notes Bliss Bakery on Bernard: 

Type: Bakery/Coffee Shop

Kid Friendly: Yes

Wifi: Yes

Budget Friendly:  Similar to big chain coffee shop pricing. Expect to pay between $5 and $7 per person depending on order

Special Diet Options:  Yes, some Gluten Free Options were present 

Reservations Required:  Nope

Would Visit Again:  Yes, great location downtown means we pass by regularly and try and visit a few times a year. 

The 2017 Year in Review Post

Keeping up with my annual year in review tradition, here is the 2017 Review in Pictures. 

This was another year of big changes - the kid moved from Elementary to Middle School, I changed jobs three times (yes three) and well, I guess that is really all for change but it seems like enough for one year. 

On the topic of jobs, I decided it was time to move on from Heart and Stroke and my position as Jump Rope for Heart Coordinator and move into a full time year round position.  Sadly my first attempt at this (job two) was a terrible choice.  It's amazing how much not enjoying your job can affect the rest of your life.  I struggled through the summer in a low paying, unhappy work environment.  Fortunately I had the full support of my family, quit that job and shortly after moved onto a much better company.  The hours have taken some time to adjust to but the whole family has now adjusted and we're all happier and healthier because of it!  So, onward to 2018 but first...2017. 

January 

January we finally found out the answer to the "what kind of dog do you have" question.  Jessie is an SPCA special. When we adopted her, the SPCA said Lab Cross. But there isn't actually much Lab in her, more Bordie Collie and as we discovered a lot of Shepherd...or at least the inside of her is Shepherd.  Turns out Jessie has a weird allergy/internal issue that is mainly found in Shepherds.  And is expensive.  She spent most January in a cone to prevent her from licking the offending area. Could not pass up the opportunity for this picture. 

Jessie in the Cone of Shame.

February

Skiing, lots of skiing.  This shot is from when I got separated from Yves and our friend, tumbled down a bit of the cliff area at Big White,  lost a ski (then found it) and then had to hike across that flat area.  Fun times. 

View from the Cliff Chair Area. Looking down on frozen Ronda Lake.

March 

March Break and the Easter Holiday took us to New Denver for a weekend break, our new tradition when driving over for the Easter holiday is stopping in at Nakusp Hot Springs for a soak first.  We lucked out with a sunny day, sadly no snow on the deck to walk through (or roll in) before hopping in.  Maybe this year though! 

Nakusp Hot Springs

April 

First of two Synchro competition months.  This picture was taken by the official Synchro BC photographer and sums up how much she loves doing her routine at competition. 

Mable Moran Regional Meet. Photo Credit: Phototeam.ca

May

Provincial Competitions in Kamloops.  The Kid and her partner weren't as in synch as they could have been but they still had a great swim. 

Jean Peters, Kamloops 4th overall in her category.

June

Happy  Birthday to The Kid! We spent the day adventuring in Kelowna and then took the celebration to Osoyoos the following weekend when her dad was home. 

Annual Ogopogo Picture

Osoyoos Desert Centre

July

The big summer adventure for us: 60 km from Kelowna to Naramata along the Kettle Valley Rail Trail. It was tougher than we thought it would be, but worth the ride.  2018 we'll find a different adventure, possibly a different stretch of Rail Trail to do? 

View looking back towards Kelowna from the KVR

August

This summer was tough, not just because of the job situation but also the conditions caused by all the forest fires in the area, at one point we were watching the water bombers working on a small fire on the other side of the ridge behind our house.  We did get some smoke free days though, including a few days when friends came to visit.  Along with the other typical tourist things to do in Kelowna we made a visit to the Okanagan Lavender Farm. 

So many flowers to see at the Lavender Farm.

September 

Things started to look up in September. I quit my job and then shortly afterwards got a new one.  We also started to look forward to the winter season - even the sunflowers & birds were thinking about ski gear - the birds ate the seeds in a pattern, to me it looks like ski googles, see it?

Sunflower Ski Googles?

October

October took us to Vancouver for a Synchro BC Conference. It was a great learning opportunity for us all but the best part was spending time exploring Vancouver, including stopping by some 2010 Olympic spots, like the Torch! 

2010 Olympic Torch at Sunset

November

Another first for us, we ventured out with family to do one of their favourite things - winter kayaking.  We had a great paddle, saw some wildlife (Mountain Goat and Trumpeter Swans), paddled through ice, and finished the afternoon at a cozy pub. 

Winter Kayaking - A first for us!

December

Started the year recap with a Jessie picture so ending with one as well. Headed back to the Slocan Valley for Christmas this year, first time not hosting Christmas at our house in over 15years!  

Jessie in her Christmas Collar.

So there we have it - 2017 in pictures.  Looking forward to 2018 and all the adventures, firsts, highs and lows, that it will bring.