Well, it seemed like it took forever. The nice weather that is! Granted, we didn’t really have a terrible winter. Not too much snow and there weren’t really that many days where your nose hairs froze when you took a breath outside. But there were still grey skies, colder winds, brown grass and bare trees. Oh, and rain! I mean, I do appreciate the charm of a wintry scene but, without snow to play in, it’s just icky and cold.

When the weather went from 5 degrees to 23 yesterday, my inner child grew restless. She had to be outside! The walk on my break at work only fueled the need to be out in the open air. So, it as only natural that, when I got home from wok, I told Aydn we were going to have dinner outside somewhere.

There is no rule that says you can’t have a last-minute picnic dinner on a weeknight! I had stopped for cucumber and tomatoes on the way home and threw together a quick array of food perfect for enjoying al fresco. While the quinoa was cooking, I sautéed mushrooms and asparagus with some garlic and onions and made a quick cucumber and tomato salad with some fresh ground pepper and crumbled sheep feta. Once ready, I mixed the quinoa with the sautéed veg, put everything in containers, grabbed some grapes and almonds, and off we went. We picked up our friend to join us for dinner; it was simply too nice for anyone to stay inside. Now to decide where to go. Down to Lake Ontario or 16 Mile Creek? The lake would be a good choice for the sunset but we opted for the serenity of 16 Mile Creek.

The lush green grass and flowering trees at Lions Valley Park immediately confirmed that we had made the right decision. We found a spot under an English Oak right near the creek. The fragrant aroma of flowering apple trees was softly caressing my senses. One more deep breath and my inner child was grinning from ear to ear, arms spread wide, she spun and twirled, her head tilted skyward.

Nature went and did its own thing while we filled our bellies as the warm sun gently stroked our backs. A red breasted robin hopped through the grass a short distance from us while a red winged black bird serenaded us with his so familiar song.

We watched little goldfinches flit between the branches above our heads and even caught sight of a rose-breasted grosbeak hopping along a log looking for bugs.

Sipping my tea, I looked up through the branches of the tree and watched geese fly across the clear blue sky. Aydn was quietly reading her book. The only sounds around us were the sing song of the birds and the burbling of the creek. The setting sun was painting the bridge a rose shade of pink. I took another sip of my tea and thought to myself … This is what life is all about. #enjoyeverymoment