Vintage Trailer Reno | 1970s Triple E Camper

 OH my goodness you guys!!  I got an email from Alberta Parks saying that we can start booking camping sites at the end of the month! When I read it, two things immediately crossed my mind:

1. That's flippin' crazy.  Its FEBRUARY.  I don't plan that far in advance.
2. Weeeee camping!

And now I keep finding myself daydreaming of summer, and actually considering camping sites in February lol. So since I can't get summer off my mind anayways, I figured now would be the perfect time to share our little trailer reno here on the blog.If you follow me on instagram you have probably caught me over-sharing about our beloved little trailer already. But for those of you who haven't, I inherited this teensy little home-on-wheels when my Dad passed away and proceeded to spend a good chunk of last spring giving it a bit of a face-lift. I can honestly say that it turned out to be a wonderful healing process for both me and the trailer! We are both feeling lighter and brighter and less leaky.Here is a little glimpse at the BEFORE pictures:[gallery type="square" size="large" columns="4" link="file" ids="4725,4723,4726,4721,4724,4722"]My grandparents bought this trailer brand new in the 70s, so it is filled to the brim with road trip memories. The fabric on the cushions has already been replaced at some point, but I really wanted to keep as much of the rest as original as possible. The hardest part really was tying in the new fabrics with the (awesome) existing patterns and colours of the 70s. Not gonna lie, I think it was a wonderful success. Everything feels fresh and clean, but nothing is so precious that dirty camping fingers and muddy paws can ruin it. Last summer we gave it a good test-run. We enjoyed every bit of our hard-work, and I reveled in the fact that I get to keep this little piece of my dad's childhood alive with my own family. To say we are excited to make some new memories this year would be a giant understatement..... So I just might have to be that person who books their camping in February lol️. How about you? Do you book early to get your favourite spots? Or do you do what I usually do and just call around until you find something available haha?P.S.  If you have any questions regarding the reno let me know!!  Just didn't want to bore y'all with the details 😉

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HUGE thanks to Suzanne Taylor Photography for taking some photos of us hanging out on a perfect Alberta summer night.  All the lovely photos of us are by her.

Could we really part with everything we have built?

Maybe it's because I was completely exhausted from a 6.5 hour red-eye flight with two children.  Or perhaps it was the cute little off-the-grid cottage that we stayed at in Maui (pictures above!!).  Or it could have even been the wonderful simplicity of living with only a bag full of clothes and toiletries.  But after two weeks of travelling, when I stepped back into the home I adore, it suddenly felt HUGE and overwhelming. I turned to Brad and said, "I've never felt more ready to downsize"It's something that has loomed in the back of our minds for a while now.  But the truth is, we absolutely love our home.  We built it ourselves, planted the grass and trees.  We love it here and have hundreds of little (and big) projects in mind to make it even better.  But neither of us can seem to shake the feeling that we just don't need the extra space, the extra stuff, the extra costs.The idea of downsizing is sort of intoxicating.  But will it  actually be a positive forward step for our family?  Or will it turn out that cute little homes are really only practical for a two week vacation?  Have you ever toyed with idea of downsizing your home?  Anyone actually done it?!  I would love to hear your thoughts!Warmly,Karmen  

Travelling with Kids | Maui Family Vacation

 We’ve made a lot of little mistakes while travelling with the girls.  But I feel like this time we got a whole lot right!  And I thought I would share a little about what has worked well for us just in case it might help you (and to remind myself for next time!)So, first and foremost, I always head into a trip with the mindset that travelling with kids is going to be an adventure.  Maybe not the type where you go cliff-jumping or climb a mountain, but literally ANYTHING can happen and you are just going to have roll with the punches and laugh off all the crazy. Ohh and that time change… give it a day or two, sleep will come haha.Lol so have I sold you yet?  But honestly, nothing quite compares to the trips we have taken as family, they are beyond special.This list is pretty specific to Maui but would be useful for any hot destination!  So here we go! Here are some of things that have worked best for us:  1. PACKING.  Pack light.  If you are lucky enough to be travelling to a warm destination like we were.  You honestly are not going to need a lot!  Bring things you can mix and match (and don't bother bringing those jeans, you are so not going to wear them!  It's 27 degrees every single day!).  And when you are lugging two carseats and stroller through the airport, you really don't want to have a whole bunch of bags as well.AND if you pack light, it means you can rent that mustang convertible.  Not sure if there is anything better than driving along the ocean with the top down (and the kids napping in the backseat).  Not to mention all the people waiting at the airport will cheer you on as you fit those carseats and stroller in.  Haha, no joke.  2. BOOK A PLACE WITH A KITCHEN AND WASHER/DRYER!  I know it's a vacation.  But my kids are always hungry.  And you know whats less fun then making a few meals.... dragging tired kids to a restaurant three times a day.  (hard-pass on that one!)  And the best part is, you can save so much money and time doing it this way.  When we travel to Maui, we stop at Costco right after picking up our rental car.  It is super close to the airport so even though we are a bit tired from the trip its totally worth the effort.  We have booked through VRBO or AirBNB and have no complaints!  (I find the reviews oh so helpful)And I don't know about you guys, but my kids will take any opportunity to get filthy lol.  The washer and dryer was my sanity.  And as much as I hate laundry at home, I really didn't mind throwing a load in every couple days.  It meant we always had fresh bathing suits and made packing light super easy!  3. THE FLIGHT.  From Edmonton to Kahalui it is 7 hours and 50 minutes.  That is a very long time for a 2 year old and 4 year old.  If you are travelling with young ones it can get a little rough at times (like anytime the seatbelt sign is on haha).  I've found packing lots of non-sugary snacks (gotta keep that sugar0-high at bay) and filling up the Ipad with books, shows and games has been the easiest and lightest way to travel with this age.  We usually let them pick a toy and a coloring book to bring as well.  Our girls surprise us every time we fly with how capable they are.  PS.  Depriving them of any TV the week or two before means they will be glued to that sucker.  P.P.S. Don't forget some fruit snacks for the descent.  Helps their little ears pop!  Oh and we have always flown WestJet and have found the staff is so good with kids!  4.  GET FASTBREAK.  Seriously, just do it.  We have used Budget for our rental car every time.  Fastbreak is FREE (you just have to sign-up ahead of time) and means you get to skip the long line-up!  After a long flight, the last thing you want do is wait an hour with all your luggage in 27 degree heat to get your rental car.  Been there, done that!

5.

SIT BACK AND RELAX

.  My biggest suggestion for enjoying your family vacay is to not get too carried away with planning (or worse yet, expecting things to go as planned lol).  Leave lots of room to just jump in the pool or chill by the beach.  We usually book only one or two things and then play the rest of the trip by ear.  That way if the girls fall asleep in the stroller on a morning walk, we can just grab a beer and sit by the beach, instead of worrying about the next thing on the schedule.  Or if someone is feeling the jet lag we can take the day slow, think naps and hanging our poolside.  For us this slow pace, is absolutely perfect.  We also often rent paddle boards and bring snorkels so that we can head into the ocean whenever possible.  So easy when it's only a short walk away.

 6. BABY BEACH IN LAHAINA.  There are an endless amount of stunning beaches to explore on Maui.  And we often visit a few different ones.  But with our brave little water babies, the baby beach in Lahaina is absolutely perfect!!   We pack  a cooler of food and stay the whole day!

Pros: NO waves, lots of shade, occasional glimpse of little fish in the crystal clear water, close to where we we were staying, tons of restaurants and shops in town

Cons: It can be hard to find if you've never been, can be hard to find parking, it's not perfectly cleaned up like the beaches outside the resorts.

SO there you have it!  A few of the things that make our trip all the more enjoyable.  Not that you can really have a bad time on Maui.  But take this as a grain of salt.  I am no expert; just a Mama hoping to save you from airplane meltdown =P

 Warmly,KarmenP.S.  If you would like hear more about some our favourite spots on Maui, let me know!  I'd be happy to spotlight a some favs in detail.P.P.S.  I am so stoked to shoot the above  images for THE SKINNY again this year.  The Skinny is a local YEG shop and they carry some fantastic childrens and women's wear!  We basically wore them all on repeat for the whole trip!! (thanks to that washer and dryer haha) 

Rebecca and Sam | Cali Road Trip | Lifestyle Photography

I just loved this session and that trailer (amiright!!).  These two lovebirds drove down to California last month and after weeks of training they finally compete in the Worlds BJJ competition today.  So proud of your journey!  Good luck Becky and Sam!! 

Take Me Back!

There is not much that makes me happier than combining my two passions, photography and travel... I seriously cannot begin to describe just how fantastic it makes me feel.... but let's go with ecstatic!!  And what a pleasure to hang out with such rad people on one of Maui's insanely beautiful beaches.  It was actually a little painful editing this session, pretty sure my entire being was trying to will myself back into this gorgeous place.  Amy and Sean, I hope that you guys LOVE your sneakpeek and I really hope we meet again in the future!To my fellow travellers: Amy is actually a wonderful photographer herself!  You can check her out at www.amyjshort.com.  If you are headed to Maui (and can't bring me along, wink. wink.)  I strongly recommend getting ahold of her.P.S.  Please excuse the weird magenta cast my photos tend to get when uploaded to my blog :(.  Or better yet, if you know how to fix it shoot my an email!!  TIA

In Memory of Rufus Laverlott

Yesterday, I was told of the passing of a wonderful friend.  I am so shocked, confused, and heartbroken.  Everything is currently unclear about what has happened, and I just ache for his family and his brand new baby girl.  It seems truly unfair that Cape Town the World should lose such an individual.  It is so obvious by the outpouring of comments and posts on our Caravan Facebook page just how big of an impression Rufus has left on all of us.  He will certainly not be forgotten.I thought it fitting to share a past blog post in his memory.  I hope my caravan friends can take some comfort in hearing his wise words, while we all try to process this true tragedy.

So, I have been feeling a bit nostalgic. It was about this time, last year, when I applied to be the photographer for the Media Team that the CRWRC was sending to East Africa.  I still cannot believe that I was chosen and with only two short weeks notice was on my way to Kenya. (I won't get into all the details since I have been sharing my day-to-day journey on this blog already, but feel free to check out all previous posts HERE). It was such a wonderful adventure, made all the better by the many amazing people that I had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know.I would really like to introduce you to one of these people. His name is Rufus. I would say it was our mutual love of photography that initially sparked the friendship, which was then followed up with heart-to-hearts on the truck and chats in a nearby coffee shop while we both recovered from random illnesses in Durban. Rufus is one of those people that just lights up the room with constant smiles, jokes and kindness. He is a person with more knowledge then he knows, more kindness then he thinks and more impact then he could possibly realize.I have asked Rufus to share a few words about himself. So without further ado, here he is:

  

 The Pursuit of Self AwarenessThis has been the one of the most intense processes I have been through in a while. Do I write about my past? Do I write about my present?  Or, how about I write about Global Warming since this was how I came to have my photo taken by my dearest friend who has chosen to give me no guidelines as to what I should write, only that I should write what I wanted people to know. So here it goes……I was born Rufus Brevin Laverlott in 1981/07/28 at approximately 10pm, Summerset West Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa, to Peter and Viona Laverlott.  I was raised in Uitsig, which at the time was a “previously disadvantaged community” in Cape Town, South Africa. As a typical boy I took apart every toy and tried my hand at playing with matches and almost burned down our garage (I remember trying to bury myself in the sand next to our house because I knew what was coming when my dad got home, the beat-down). Growing up I did not understand apartheid because I thought it was normal, it is only later that I would realize that this was unfair and for the rest of my life I would have to deal with feelings of entitlement, inferiority and, most of all, hatred. I soon realized that I was not the only one experiencing these emotions and that people all have these feelings and they manifest themselves in different ways.  Mine manifested itself through the abuse of people's trust and drugs, squandering what opportunities were given me; after all, they said I would never amount to anything. (The community of people I come from were and are still to this day stereotyped as Gangsters, Drug Dealers and Thieves)Where is this all heading? So I accumulated ridiculous amounts of debt and ended up in prison, I sold drugs and chose to be an addict for much of my life, I was infatuated with Heroin. I have been shot, stabbed, beat up and left for dead. These were my life choices, I had no one to blame but me.  Even though I blamed my dad and mom, I have come to realize that they wanted the best for me and did what they could with the information they had to be the best parents they could be for their children. Today, I look up to my father who with no education managed to put each of his children through school and tertiary education, as well as put away money so that should anything happen to him his wife would want for nothing. I know what it is to see how your mom compensates for your dads lack of emotional involvement in your life, that you abuse her and take advantage of her. I know what it is to be so addicted to drugs that you say to God, “Is this all you had created me to be, a disappointment, a stereo type, I never asked to be here?”.   I know the joy of overcoming addiction and then making the same unwise decision and indulging again because this time it would be different.  I know love, I know what it is to abuse love and I know what it is to be abused physically, emotionally and sexually.  I know vanity, I know what racism is and what it is to be a racist; and lastly, I know freedom, not only understanding that I have the ability to choose but choosing despite how I feel or how many times I do not succeed.I celebrated my 31st birthday this year in New York City; last year, I celebrated it with the prisoners I work with, in the very same facility I served out my own sentence; and the year before that, I was being released from prison on my birthday.  I wake up and fight every day to be me, navigating through life and all it has to offer with passion and love, choosing to be responsible and grateful.  My parents are my greatest supporters after God.  We are not perfect, and so we pursue balance, love that is reflected through our actions toward one another no matter how awkward or difficult, because feelings come and go and are essentially emotional evidence of our choices. Two years ago, I came out of prison and have by God's grace been living as a contributor to society and this planet I call home.  Not just living to breath but to live the most extraordinary life I am able to, becoming self-aware and taking ownership of every choice I make.  One of these choices was to travel from Kenya to Durban to raise awareness of Global Warming, to rally support from others as youth to stand up and be counted against all odds and say that this is our world, we have a voice. Being ignorant is a choice, we choose who we are and how we show up in this world.I love that I was born in Cape Town, South Africa. I love that I have seen a lot of this world and my own Country and Continent.  I love that I know my history, however, it is not all I am. I am universal, sharing a space with billions of people who are as I am.  We are confronted by our fears and insecurities daily, being challenged each in our own unique way.I met the loving, intensely passionate, soft and humble Karmen Jillayne Meyer in Kenya and we traveled alongside with almost 190 other young people to Durban, South Africa. You need only look at her pictures to see the reflection of her heart-beat and how she sees the world, the beauty that can be found in each moment.  Don’t allow anything to take away from you your greatest human experience, which is this life you are living now! Do not be conformed by society as if you need it to validate that you matter.  You have a responsibility to contribute to this planet we call earth so that those generations that come after us may to see as we have seen, the awesomeness of this life we get to experience daily.  YOU HAVE NO EXCUSE!Capture life like you are a photographer……  find the beauty in each moment.RUFUS

Global Day of Action March | Day #32 South Africa

This time of year will always remind me of Africa.  And maybe one of these times I will completely finish blogging about this amazing experience.  But, until then, here is another little look into an amazing 6 weeks:Global Day of Action.  6000 people gather to March in Durban, South Africa during COP 17.  I climb a sketchy stairwell, to get a better view. Took a couple selfies.  Perfect day.