#18 Spend one night in a unique location a year

In June 2015 my mom came over to visit me. Kerry died five weeks before. I did not eat or sleep or function in any shape or form. I did not exist. My mom took me to Tofino, where she had booked a few nights in the Wickaninnish Inn. I have no words for the beauty and serenity of this place. I slept for the first time since losing Kerry. There was a quiet in my head. Even if only for a second. This is how this wish came to be. The Wickinn is where I found some peace for the first time, so now I try to find a little piece of heaven once a year.

#1 Canopée Lit, Quebec (May 2016)
A bubble!!! Yeah, seriously, I stayed in a bubble in a tree. It's an air pressured, inflatable room perched on a platform in the middle of the woods of Quebec, right on the edge of a fjord. As if the funny voices (air pressured eh), fake grass flooring, plastic sun flowers and surprisingly comfortable bed weren't enough, turning off the light and seeing the trees, the stars and nothing else: pure magic!

#2 Vancouver Aquarium, Vancouver (August 2017)
OMG! I thought sleeping next to the sea lions was going to be awesome (it seriously was, snuggling in my sleeping bag on the floor in front of the giant tank blew my mind). But it was mostly the behind-the-scenes-adventure-in-the-aquarium-in-the-middle-of-the-night-part that rocked. I couldn't stop jumping for joy, just like when I was a kid. Lucky, because the only people booking these sleepovers at the Vancouver Aquarium are the little people.

#3 Cabin by the Ocean, Sunshine Coast (September 2018)
When I put this item on the list, I was thinking 'crazy weird shit', you know, like bubbles and aquariums. But it turns out that a regular cabin by the ocean can be very exceptional too (okay maybe the cabin was not that 'regular' but it seems pretty plain compared to #1 and #2). My mom made me realize this when we were talking about her favourite parts of her most recent trip to BC. 'That house by the water at the Sunshine Coast was truly unique', she said. And she was right. We got there and instantly felt at home. Plenty of room, so much coziness, and man, the views! Ocean left right and center, some seals now and then, a hot tub, and to top it off, bioluminescence in the water at night. Perfect for some swimming and making sparkly water angels. Thank you mom for reminding me to always see the beauty in nature and family time.