Most favorite day EVER!

Last week John and I were able to go on a real hike together!  I say "real" because since the time we got married almost 9 years ago, our "hiking" adventures have been limited to trails that could be done with our kids.  2-4 mile type trails, with slight incline, zero difficulty and countless games of "I Spy" and bribes for ice cream if they would "just keep climbing!"    I'm not knocking it, as that is what a hike in our family is like - and I love it.     But for a couple of years I have longed to do a big hike.  Something challenging.  Something John and I could really work at.  

My goal was to chose a beautiful trail that would provide an opportunity for me to gather some landscape photos for a contest that I want to enter.     So we hiked Crypt!  In the 80's this trail was voted Canada's #1 hike - so it had to be beautiful right? 

Boy was it.

Ten minutes into the hike and I knew that I was going to see a part of Waterton that I had never before gotten to enjoy.   It was at that point that I also knew that I was very VERY out of shape.   I didn't know it was possible to feel so much excitement and PAIN at the same time.  (without having a baby that is)

Hiking sans children was more enjoyable then I should admit.    I mean really!   For the first time in years - we both went to the bathroom without having to do it in "shifts" so that someone could stay behind and watch the kids.     As we walked we talked about intellectual things.    We talked about where "ideas" come from, and what makes someone creative.   (For the record it is our opinion, that the most creative people in life are also those "most willing to share their life and what they know with others.")   We talked about each of our kids and whether or not it is ok to have a favorite child.   Which we don't.   But if we did- it would be Nathan.

JUST KIDDING!

Not a single game of "I Spy" had to be played, and not once did either of us pipe in and whine, "Are we there yet?"    I may have come close, and I may have asked that question numerous times in a more mature and round about way - but I never whined!    It was glorious!  

We passed by several waterfalls!   Each of them beautiful.

The scenery was breathtaking!   As you hike Crypt you pretty much cover it all.   You enjoy beautiful lush vegetation as you follow a narrow trail through thick forest.   Other times you find yourself climing shale through the blazing sun.  Yet at some points you even have Snow to deal with.  

My favourite point of the hike is near the end.  You come to this 8 foot ladder that you climb up and immediately you are at the entrance to a narrow and misshaped cave.

You climb through that cave on your knees at times and exit to the most breathtaking view EVER.

Opposite to this amazing view, there is a cable in bedded into the side of the mountain.   This comes in handy as you make your way along the narrow rock wall.   Think edge of a cliff!

After 30 feet or so you are back on safe ground and pretty much finished.   The lake is just moments away and boy is it beautiful!!!  Of course John was not content to enjoy the view with the other hikers who had made it up that day.   We had to scale a slippery ledge of snow and walk around the lake to find the perfect fishing hole.

Which turned out to be "not so perfect" but that is Ok.   We sat on a rock for a couple of hours and ate, fished, talked and enjoyed the beauty around us.   

Of course, John would never make a trip like this without bringing along his bullwhip!    It made a fantastic sound as it echoed through the canyon.   

I always like watching John crack his whip!   However, the clouds moving over us were looking ominous and we absolutely had to be back at the head of the trail by 5:00 so we loaded up our stuff, took one last look, and headed back down.  Only this time MUCH faster. 

It took us 3 hours to reach the lake and only half that time to get back to the start of the trail!

To access the Crypt trail, you must cross the main lake in Waterton, and in most cases that is via the shuttle that leaves the town site only twice a day and returns to pick up hikers only twice a day.   We had already missed the first pick up, and I was starting to seriously wonder if we'd make the second pick up or not.     For some reason, the thought of spending a night on that mountain didn't sound that exciting to me. 

Luckily, we made it back in plenty of time.   I sat at the edge of the lake and soaked my aching feet while John fished, and others sat and waited on the dock.    We had enjoyed perfect weather the entire day.  No wind.   Beautiful sunshine in the morning, and overcast skies in the afternoon which offered relief from the sun.   As we waited for the shuttle to arrive we watched as a thunderstorm rolled in ahead of us, and I wondered if our luck was about to run out.

I'm not even kidding-  it was not even 1 minute after everyone got onto the boat and we headed back towards the town site that the rain began to pour!  POUR!   It was such a cozy feeling to finally be sitting, having accomplished that goal, and get to enjoy a beautiful storm while staying warm and dry.  It could not have been more perfect.

Of course, I have to thank my Sister Jewel and her husband Kendall for even making that experience possible for us.   I'm sure watching our kids is exactly how they wanted to spend an entire day,(sarcasm intended)  but it was so perfectly awesome for me.    I laughed.  I cried.  And I rolled my ankle about 4 times.

Now as I hobble along favoring a sore leg and possibly even a broken toe, I think back fondly to that hike, which now goes down as ...

 one of my most favorite days ever!

PS:   The pictures here are Ok - but check out our other blog for some of my favorites!

Is it just me, or does it take a while to settle back in to normal life after you've gone somewhere?
After having so much fun at Bear Lake with John's family a couple of weeks ago, it doesn't really surprise me that most of this week was spent trying to recover and re-adjust.    Unfortunately, the sore eyes/scratchy throat/earache I've had for the past few weeks has reared it's ugly head and though there is lots to update and journal about- my energy levels are way too low.  


Some highlights of this week in short, are:

Nate now has ....a TOOTH!   It is a big fat tooth right in the center of his ever so delightful smile!    Every time I look at him now I am shocked that he has gotten soo big!   That might be because he is usually flashing that big tooth WHILE standing up on his own or scuttling along furniture in dangerous and haphazard ways.   Little boys are so much work -but also such an adventure!



Speaking of Adventures....I had one this week. A "Grown up Hike" with nobody else but John! It was glorious and painful all at the same time. More on that another time. (due to the whole lack of energy thing)

We enjoyed a day in Calgary riding on all of the rides that Calaway Park had to offer.   It was especially fun to have Rachel, Caleb and Malachi join us.  Everything is more enjoyable when you do it with cousins right?   That's what my kids think.   So they were over the moon excited when we made a stop in Okotoks for the world's best rootbeer floats and some fun at an equally awesome splash park!


Earlier in the week, we invited Grandpa to join us for a drive down to Glacier.  (Thanks for the pass Luce!)    We enjoyed a nice easy stroll around the Swift Current Lake just by the Hotel, and the kids even stopped to fish a bit.     Abby is getting to be quite the fisher!   It makes me both proud, and slightly annoyed.  The little stinker REFUSED to give anybody else a chance!    Sam was equally determined to claim the reputation of the # 1 fisher in the family and insisted on casting alone this time.    Normally, the thought of place a large stick with a sharp object at the end into Sam's hands would have made me nervous.   Seeing as Grandpa was with us, and I wanted to look like a good and patient Mom, I sat back and let him try all he wanted.   Well - Sam is quite the fisher indeed - because on his very first try he actually caught something!

....GRANDPA!!!!    

As John attempted to un-hook Grandpa from Sam's rod all I could do was smile to myself and question just WHO exactly agreed to let Sam operate such a tool?

It's a good thing Grandpa is such a CHAMP!

Our family just returned from a most enjoyable week with John's family down at Bear Lake.   

This year John's brother Jordan, Jordan's wife Luci, and John's sister Rachel were in charge of planning the family reunion - and they could not have chosen a more family friendly place.   

Bear Lake is located on the south-east tip of Idaho and stretches down into Utah.    We stayed in a couple of cozy cabins located high up on a hill overlooking a marina and beach below.  

Every morning we would wake up, eat, pack a bag lunch and then travel the 20 minutes to the northern tip of the lake where we enjoyed perfect sand and a lake that was warm and shallow enough for the smaller kids to wade without us feeling too concerned. 

Of course there were sand castles.   Lots of sand castles!   John's family takes their castle building very seriously.   Nothing is done small when these people are involved!   Other sand play consisted of digging sand pits, making angels in the sand, and searching for handfuls of old snail shells which the younger kids collected and treasured more than anything.

 At one point the dads brought this water balloon launcher and you can bet that kept the kids happy for a good while. 

When they tired of launching water balloons, they moved on to much more entertaining, albeit explosive, activities.    I'm not exaggerating when I say that we have never ...NEVER had a family reunion that did not involve lighting something on fire and sending it off in a multitude of directions at break neck speeds.   Of course this year it was not good enough to set off just one rocket.    Nope... at one point there were three set up at one time.

It was at this point in the reunion whern I panicked, trying to remember if John's health coverage also included travel insurance.

Some of the kids though enjoyed far less dangerous pursuits.   Sam was content to spend his days floating aimlessly on his Lightning McQueen floaty.   Even better was having his cousin Libby join in the excitement.

It made me smile often to see these two cousins reunited.   Sometimes you'd see them walking holding hands and it made me sad to think that it'd be months before we might see Libby again.

We rented a boat for a couple of days, which at first sent my blood pressure soaring as I felt certain that no good could come from this.   Jordan behind the wheel of a motorboat?  Really?  

All apologies to Jordan for ever doubting his abilities.  For two days, kids and adults alike enjoyed rides, tubing, and waterskiing.    Abigail especially enjoyed the boat.  She tubed for the first time ever and even attempted waterskiing.   Everybody reported that she was absolutely FEARLESS.  Which initially sent my blood pressure soaring again-  but after placing a call to our insurance agent in regards to our coverage  (just kidding)  I was able to relax  a little and actually feel quite proud of her.

I was once fearless too.

When the family wasn't enjoying the sun on the beach, everyone could be found back at the main cabin where Jordan, Luce and Rach had planned some fabulous evening activities.   A talent show one night, a Disney Family Dance off the next, not to mention slide shows and cozy evenings roasting giant marshmallows out on the deck.

One highlight for me was on the last beach day they rented a couple of sea-doos!   Oh my goodness those were fun, and I was hardly going fast at all!   Perhaps the thing that brought more happiness to my heart then anything was seeing my father - in - law jet ski.   He is usually the one found slaving away in the kitchen preparing the next meal before we are even finished eating the first one.    It was kinda nice to see him kick back a little.      

There are a few things about Max that I think deserve being pointed out.  

*  For the first time since meeting him almost 9 years ago, I saw him wear a pair of flip flops!

*  This is a man who truly seems most willing and content  making wonderful meals for his family.

*  He can cook a turkey dinner with out the luxury of running water!

*  His heart melts and his eyes absolutely twinkle when one of the grandkids show him some love

* So many times this week I watched as Grandpa snuck a treat to one of the grandkids just to get a smile.

* I think he secretly LOVES to jet ski!  Who knew?   And I'm not too happy to admit it - but I think He went faster then I ever did that's for sure!

Of course the week wasn't free of the odd frustration here and there.    You know the usual things that are bound to happen when you put 16 adults and the same number of kids into one space.   Noise, late nights, early mornings, missing shoes that show up in all the wrong places, and games that had to end too early because we suddenly remembered we were actually the parents and there were kids to tend to.    All in all though - the only complaint I had was that I was forced to endure the task of watching a grown man dance to "Kiss the Girl" in nothing but an adult sized diaper!    (I know that might sound bizarre - but that is only because it WAS!;)

It was such a great week for my kids.  They loved being with all of their cousins, and John and I loved spending time with these wonderful people that we don't get to see nearly often enough. 

I was so impressed with how well the kids played together, and I loved watching the parents as they all played WITH their kids.   It made me want to come home and connect more with my own children and enjoy playing again.  

This is a family that can play just as hard as they work!

Thanks Jordan, Luci and Rach for the very wonderful time!

I think Abby summed it up best when she stated (more like "screamed") while zooming across the lake in a tube at break neck speed: 

 "THIS IS THE BEST VACATION EVER!!!!!!"

(Check our other blog for more scenic pictures of the trip)

FOCUS

I never really knew too much about my Dad's line of work growing up. I knew that he was a private investigator, and I knew he had a lot of cool equipment... but I never paid much attention to any of that. After he died, most of his stuff was placed in a corner of a crawl space at my sister's house. Well, recently my brother learned that both of our cameras are compatible with something called an "adaptor ring." Once an adaptor is on our camera, we can then use any old style manual lens of ANY make. Suddenly that camera equipment that my Dad had once used for work is now, once again, usable!! It's been a lot of fun to play around with some old Tamaron, Nikon and Olympus lenses. My favorite one by far is the Tamaron 500 mirror lens. That thing can zoom!


A couple of days ago I went up to the south hill in town to get a picture of the temple. I couldn't see these windmills with the naked eye, but the lens picked them up without a problem. I'm not sure if these are the windmills close to Fort Macleod or the ones closer to Pincher Creek. (John says Fort Macleod so we'd better just go with that as he is always right.)



Of course, the downside to this lens is that it requires manual focusing -something that I have yet to figure out - as you can see. That blasted tree in the front is so blurry, it completely ruins the picture.



So I tried again tonight and got this shot.

Again with the blur! I think it is the same darn tree, in my way every time. Considering how long it is taking me to figure out this whole manual focus thing- it'd be easier if I just cut down that stinking tree and eliminate it entirely.

But don't worry - I won't.

Life as a single parent and other Summer happenings

John spent all of last week bike riding somewhere through the BC mountains with the young men in the ward. Now does that sound like an awesome time or what? It almost beats the "horseback riding through the Rockies" adventure that he went on last summer. Just imagine all of the beautiful scenery he has gotten to see. I could be wrong but I don't think he has missed out on a Young Men's camp since we got married. You would think that I would have gotten used to him being away for a week or so each year - but I haven't.

The truth is, I kind of fall apart when he goes away. I stop wearing make-up altogether. I stop cooking real meals. (why try when the kids are happy with Lucky Charms?) The house reaches a rare state of "disaster," and don't even get me going about the nights. Those long nights when the kids go to bed and I sit up alone, rehashing every scary vampire movie that I've ever watched. I usually manage to fall asleep in the wee hours of the morning, curled up in the fetal position, but NOT until I have barricaded every entrance to our house with whatever large item of furniture I can move. Nope- I do not do well alone.

This year I tried to be a bit more productive, so I took the kids up to Calgary for half the week, and then spend the rest here at home. After battling with rush hour traffic, over priced hair salons, a cranky old man that I may or may not have called the police on (ok I did), suffering through a medical procedure I hope to never experience again and a couple of sleepless nights - I have decided that I do not enjoy the city life. I think I have grown far to accustomed to this little town without a Wal-mart. Luckily though the week wasn't all bad, we also enjoyed a lot of highlights as well.

Calaway park with my entire family was a hit, and dinner at Peters Drive In afterwards doesn't hurt one bit either. We enjoyed a hour or two at my sisters community lake one morning, as well as a nice (though too brief) visit with my sister in law Kat. The kids LOVED the sleepover at the Okotoks cousins house complete with the best bed time story ever. And what would Canada Day be without a trip to the Raymond Parade and party in the park! After all of that, I have developed a deep appreciation and respect for single mothers. How do they do all that they do.... ALONE? I barely survived it for a week! Then again, I am a admittedly a tad bit needy.

By the time John got home around 11:30 on Saturday night I was so excited to see him I could have kissed his face right off. Sure he was dirty, had a beard, smelled of sweat, and carried in his hands a sack full of laundry that would require immediate washing - but he was home. HOME, I tell ya! Oh he was a beautiful sight!

Other adventures of late:

Our youngest boy Nate is now a crawling, stair climbing, standing machine ...who apparently likes to eat Sand. (not to mention hair elastics, popcorn kernels and old shoes -but definitely Sand)





I am beginning to wonder if my oldest daughter might be a bit obsessive compulsive. I sent her downstairs to clean her room and this is how she achieved it. Every lose and random object she owns now has a specific mason jar of it's very own. A jar for buttons, a jar for her favorite polly pocket dresses, a jar for her money...and a jar that holds one eraser.
She's efficient this one!



A sweet girl in our ward took some family photos for us in Waterton a couple of weeks ago. At one point I leaned over her shoulder and snapped this shot of Sam. Which wasn't difficult considering that that he REFUSED to perch himself any other way!
To Sam's credit I actually think he was trying to be cooperative. I haven't seen the shots Haley got yet, but I'm pretty sure this "Donkey Kong" pose is a predominant theme throughout. Seriously Kid!! Every time I see this photo, I want to both Hug Sam AND Send him to his room!

Well that is our first week of Summer Holidays - Gone Already! Does any body know how to slow time down a bit?