An Anniversary Weekend Away With The Ford Flex

A few weeks ago we were thrilled to have had the opportunity to jump into the Ford Flex and getaway for the weekend to celebrate our third wedding anniversary. It's funny actually, this is the first year that we were able to actually do much more than go out to dinner or order take out because I was either uber exhausted/pregnant or uber exhausted and with a baby to tend to. So when the opportunity to partner up with Ford Canada to have a staycation sans toddler came up... well you know, we literally did a happy dance!

To be honest, as much as I love getting away for the weekend I also dread the idea of having to pack. I will fully admit that I'm not the best or efficient packer in the world, just ask Jon becuase he can ramble off all of the times I have made him carry my overstuffed bags and yet still manage to forget something. It literally happens everytime... guys, I'm a chronic over packer! The Ford Flex definitely enabled my chronic overpackeritis (yes, I made that up) because with a push of a button the back row folds down into the floor so you basically have a covered truck at your disposal. This allowed us ample space to have Mía's stroller, Lily's crate and bags upon bags of just stuff that I thought we would maybe, possibly need. The best part was that everything and more importantly, everyone was in and ready to hit the road without the back window being obstructed in anyway.

Another genius feature of this car, and one that I didn't notice until we were half way to Yarmouth, was that the passengers had their own sun roof above them and... wait for it, they each have their own shade to pull over to cut out the sun glares. It was so convenient to have that feature when Mía complained about the sun being in her eyes that I'm not sure I can go back to not having it in my life. Another amazing thought I had was how good that trunk and the extra sun roofs would be for car camping (is that what you call it?) and star gazing would be. Now you guys know me by now and probably gathered that Jon and I aren't the most wilderness savvy couple around but I see people doing it all the time and now I'm inspired to try it out!

We made it to the meet up spot so we could hand over the girls to my parents for the weekend and continued on into the countryside of East Kemptville until we reached Trout Point Lodge. If you guys haven't had the chance to visit Trout Point Lodge, I would highly recommend it for a staycation close to Halifax. The lodge is a 100 acre property that borders the Tobeatic Wilderness Area and the Tusket River that offers wilderness adventures with a touch of luxury. Guests can enjoy a variety activities such as forest bathing (a Japanese practice), cooking classes, guided hikes, geo tours, canoeing, kayaking, and much more. We stayed in a charming cottage with its own private dock and private deck where we could enjoy some time just sit back and catch up with each other. It's amazing how easily mundane daily routines can eat up your time and conversation with your spouse and you don't realize it until you have a moment to breathe and relax. We chose to do the guided star gazing our first night and had the best time listening and learning from their on site certified astronomer Alex. The lodge is known for it's gourmet dining experience and did certainly did not disappoint! You can spot the kitchen staff foraging for ingredients throughout the day and it was kind of fun to guess what items would appear on our plates at dinner. They have kayaking and canoeing available to guests at all times but my favorite afternoon activity was soaking in the wood fired hot tub on the edge of the river. I love the boardwalks that went throughout the property and we loved exploring them before supper each night. On our last morning there we decided to end our stay as relaxed as possible so we booked a private yoga session for the two of us. It was a treat to be able to start our day so relaxed and we knew we would need it as the upcoming weeks would be filled with packing and moving chaos.