That one time.... in Banff

Last weekend was a dreamy time for our family.   

John and I surprised even ourselves and took the kids away for the long weekend -

to BANFF!  

The past few months have been a bit busier than normal and John must have been feeling that too, because he agreed to this relaxing getaway AND even took a day off of work in order to join us.  

Did you hear that Internet?

John took a day off work!!!!!!!

The man doesn't do that sort of thing.  In fact, this was such a foreign experience for him that he needed his boss to walk him through how the process of taking a "discretionary day" was actually done.   (Granted, the day he took off of work was technically a PD day which meant there were no students attending - but still.  John didn't go to work!!!   I'm clearly still not over the shock of that;)

We left Thursday evening, right after school and drove straight through to Banff.   Given that it was May long weekend - we absolutely were not surprised that the forecast was calling for rain and even snow.   We weren't going to let the weather deter us.   

We booked a suite at the Rocky Mountain Lodge resort and the kids were delighted with many aspects of it:

* it had a full kitchen which made making food and snacks convenient

* bedrooms were upstairs

* the front desk would deliver wood anytime we felt like having a fire

* the suite had cable which meant that the kids could watch FoodNetwork any time we weren't out exploring (and believe me- they watched it every time we weren't out exploring;)

* the wolf themed decor had us convinced we were officially in wolf country

* the kids had access to unlimited swimming and hot tubbing any time the cold weather got to us

We'd probably hadn't even been in banff for 30 minutes before we found ourselves enjoying a 10:00 pm swim/soak in the hot tub.   This grainy photo doesn't show it but it was actually raining down on us as we hot tubbed on the outside patio.   (Jessica can't go swimming without morphing into a mermaid now.  Best, most well loved Christmas gift she's ever received;)  

There were a few other people hot tubbing that rainy night and one of them happened to be one of the superintendents of the school division John works for.   AKA:  One of his bosses.    John told me after that he did his best to hide and go unnoticed (as unnoticed as you can be while carrying a 9 year old mermaid child around) but there is a very good chance that he recognized John too.   What are the chances that the ONE time John finally takes a day off (and okay skips a PD day) - he finds himself hours away from home, yet in the same hot tub with his boss.   Yikes!

One of my favorite things about our Banff trip was the moments in which I got to just explore and enjoy the scenery.   One morning Jessica and I got up early and drove up Tunnel Mountain Road and took pictures along the way.   Jess was delighted to find "the red chairs" and we managed to find some deer and elk as well.   

Jess and I spotted a few bears during our morning adventures.   (I think Jess had named this particular bear - Bob 1?  She's not too creative with the names, I know.)

During one particularly warm moment when the skies were clear,  we decided to capitalize on the good weather and enjoy a little hike.    Of course it had to be Johnston's Canyon!

(I remember doing this hike with my Dad when I was little, so I was determined to show it to my kids.)    On the way there, I asked all the kids to say a prayer that we "see a wolf."    

Not 10 minutes later - guess what!

WE SAW THIS!!!!!

Apparently this is not a wolf;)  

BUT - for two glorious days (until I got home and started bragging about it to others) I was convinced it was a wolf and that seriously made my whole trip.  haha.   

The hike to Johnston's Canyon is perhaps one of the prettiest hikes that our family has ever done.   

Though I do remember walking this trail as a kid with my Dad and family, I do not remember it been so breathtaking!    

There were many different flowers in bloom (these Venis' slippers have been on my list of flowers to find for a long time now) and the forest smelled of dirt and moss and all that good stuff. 

So many spectacular views!

The highlight though for the kids was reaching the first waterfall.  There is a short (maybe 10 feet?) tunnel that you can walk through and when you come out on the other side you are right there in front of the waterfall.   

It's impossible to stand there without getting wet from the spray and mist. 

Just as we were finishing our little stroll, we noticed that the parking lot had filled with other tourists, the trail was now pretty packed with hikers and dark clouds were starting to move in.  

Our cue to leave;)

We spent the afternoon enjoying a bit closer to town.   We had a picnic lunch while we watched others ride the Gondola to the top of nearby mountain (definitely on our list of things to do next time) and we toured the fascinating Cave n Basin Historic Site.    AGAIN- I remember coming to swim at the Cave n Basin as a kid.   Since that time (around 1992) they filled in the pool and covered it with stone - leaving just a small natural pool to tour and look at.   (No swimming allowed here either;)  

I was fascinated with the Banff Springs hotel and could have spent an entire day just touring the inside of this building.   We were allowed to walk around the first couple of levels and so we did.  SOO beautiful!!   One day John is going to book a stay for us here;)

The town site of Banff is a pretty fun place to explore as well.   I couldn't get over the cool crosswalks there.   The lines went diagonal as well, so as soon as soon as the signal was given - people start walking in every direction.   The kids LOVED walking around each and every gift shop.   I felt as though I was constantly telling them not to touch a thing!  Finally, we found a delicious little shop in which we each found a treat worth buying.   

We spent the last half of our day fishing and resting along the shore of Two Jack lake.   

 We'd checked out of the hotel and the van was all loaded up but one of us wanted to leave quite yet.  

We all cried on the way home (okay, only I did.  On the inside) but I will say that no matter how much fun we had travelling somewhere new - it's the being together that means the most.   John's uncle Clark recently spoke in a stake conference meeting in which he shared the sentiment that "Home isn't where you live.  Home is Family."     

While we float around from house to house or as we travel to various fun places this next year or so - this is definitely the thought that will be hanging in my heart.   

Home IS Family!

Waterton through a new lens

My brother Chad recently helped me locate a cool lens to purchase on kijiji and last weekend I was finally able to test it out!    

Of course, the only place to test out a new telephoto lens is in Waterton, am I not right?

I am right (just for the record)

So on Saturday afternoon, John and I loaded the kids up for a bit of fun.   

From the moment we entered the park - I knew it was going to be a great day.  

Spotting a big beautiful moose just near the park gate seemed to be a good omen.

It was a little chilly but not cold enough to prevent us from enjoying some barbecued hot dogs.

Normally, I do not like hot dogs at all, but when cooked up in the beautiful out doors - Hmm mmm. 

Jess and Sam crack me up.  They've always had a close relationship.  

They are close in age, could pass for twin siblings, and for some reason - they can't stop picking on each other.  We've tried to tell Sam not to fight with his sister but she dishes it out more than he does.   It's sort of endearing.

There is a lot of construction going on in Waterton this year, which prevented us from really driving up into the mountains.   We walked around the town site though and explored the shoreline and took note of every wildflower that we saw.  

Of course we have conditioned our kids to need ice cream from Big Scoop every.single.time we come to town.  This time Jessica tried the "Moosetrack" flavor, in honor of our moose sighting earlier.

At the end of the day, we made a quick stop up at the Prince of Whales hotel to check out the view.   We were delighted to find a couple of dozen mountain sheep grazing up there and they certainly put on an entertaining show for us.     

We drove home at the end of the day feeling full, relaxed, sun kissed and content with everything.

(Waterton has that affect on people, you know;)

If only Abby could have been with us - then it really would have been a perfect day!

Oh Canada!

Well, my darling 13 year old has officially travelled further in her short little life then I have.  

(so far, at least;)    Last week she had the chance to travel as a local Girls Choir member to Ottawa.  

OTTAWA!

As in, our nations capital!!  

I spent the week missing her, feeling jealous of her, constantly trying to text her and missing her some more.  Abby on the other hand, spent her week much more productively!

Here are some of the photos that were sent to me:

Abby and her friends left town at 4:30 am on a Tuesday morning.  By 9:30 am - she was on a plane, for the first time ever!

The reason for this trip east was so that the girls could participate in Musicfest Canada.   A music festival in which these girls happened to be awarded GOLD for their efforts.  Woot Woot! 

Th girls didn't only perform at the festival though.   They'd also managed to land some gigs at some nearby churches and even sang one afternoon during a Mass!  Cool experience for Abby, for sure.  (This picture was taken as the girls were warming up.)

  

When the choir was not performing- they were exploring!   They toured Parliament Hill, walked along the Rideau Canal, crossed the river and had lunch in Quebec, visit the Canadian War museum, the Museum of Nature, the Victoria museum and more!

Some highlights for Abby included shopping at the "Long Tall Sally" store (a family favorite) that was conveniently located near her hotel!   (grrrrr....Thanks to kind donations from cousins and Aunts, she had left home with a couple hundred dollars and returned home with only $2 to her name.   I blame LTS for this!;)    The choir girls also got to tour the Supreme Court of Canada and Abby was lucky enough to get to sit in the judges seat (Appellate, Court) for a moment.    It was cool to see Ottawa from her perspective.  I'm not sure she appreciated all the history and intellect that this old and dignified city has to offer - but she certainly did enjoy herself!!!

One night the girls had been eating in a diner and four men approached the group.  They were apparently from Alberta and one of them was actually from Fort McMurray.  (The place that has been so severely devastated this month when a massive wildfire tore through the city)  Anyways, these men asked the girls to perform.  The girls agreed to and the owner of the restaurant even turned the volume down so that all of the patrons could hear the performance.   When the girls finished singing - those four men gave the group a donation of $400.00.   As someone who has helped with the choir accounting this year - believe me - that was a very generous and helpful donation!!!

Another cool experience they got to have came as they were touring the national war museum.  Again, they were asked to sing only this time their audience was a group of new army cadets.   They all stood at attention as they listened to the girls sing one of their best songs "To Believe."  It was so touching to see video of this and it was reported to us that this provided a huge moral boost for the troop before they were deployed.  Cool beans!

I really did miss this girl terribly.  Every night, around 7:30 (9:30 her time) I would start walking around with the phone in my hand, just waiting for it to ring.  For some reason, she couldn't face time, but it was still so great to hear her voice at the end of every day and listen to her relay some of her favorite experiences.   

She returned home the following Sunday afternoon and it was definitely a happy reunion!  I didn't take a picture, but Nate and Jessica had both made "Welcome Home" signs.   Nate's was the funniest.   It consisted of a giant Welcome Home message scribbled at the top and then in little writing at the bottom the words, "I slept in your bed!"   

  It was a week of "firsts" for my girl.   First time on a plane....first time travelling east....and first time exploring the world without John and I being the ones to introduce it to her.   

She seemed to do just fine without us.

....What gives?!!!

Hello Spring

Winter is officially over!

It just is.   

Not only because I have declared it so - but because it is MAY!   

(Goodbye winter, hello spring;)

There are a few things that always make spring spring, to me:

1: Gardening!

Days ago, we had helped John's Dad plant his garden, but eventually, we actually got around to planting our own!  Corn, chard, kale, carrots, radishes, cucumber and more!

The kids each got their own little designated spots as well.   Who knows if anything that they planted will actually grow but I love their effort, just the same.   (I also love how they mapped out their garden plots using string and plastic spoons.)  

2.  Fishing

I'm pretty sure John and Nate would go fishing every weekend, if we could.  They've gone several times already, and spring has barely begun!   Nate has surprised us by being the number 1 catcher of pike lately.   He actually enjoys fishing - when he catches something;)

A couple of weeks ago, John planned a "date night" for him and I and, wouldn't you know it -

he took me fishing!  It turned out to be a most perfect idea.  

John fished non- stop.  I fished a little, put my feet up a bit more than that, and took pictures whenever I wanted.   

There is nothing like being out on a lake as the sun goes down.   So peaceful!

3.  April showers must really bring may flowers - because we certainly have enjoyed an abundance of them lately.   The day before Mother's Day John and Jess had left together to "run a few errands."   

What they came home with though -was stunning!

They'd filled 6 vases with beautiful, handpicked tulips and placed them throughout the house.   It was such a delightful thing to walk around the house and see fresh flowers everywhere I looked.  

The whole beautiful scene reminded me of a quote from Monet, who once said,

 "I must have flowers - always and always!"

Might I add to that - a garden spot and calm evenings on the lake!

Waterton in the spring

Finally, and I do mean finally we made it out to Waterton.   

It had been much much to long since we had driven out to enjoy it's beauty. 

And now that spring is here - there is lots of beauty to be seen!!

We only had a few hours to spare but we made good use of the time.   

* Birds, bighorn sheep, and balsamroot were out in full force

* We had a picnic lunch in one of the camp kitchens

* Sam and Nate tried to lure out some gophers while Abby took selfies

* we walked along the shoreline and stopped for ice cream at big scoop.  (It was their opening day and seeing as the park was not very busy at all, I think it is safe to say that we were some of the first customers of the season!)

* We drove around the park exploring (as much as we could).   Construction on Red Rock Road, the road that goes past Cameron falls, throughout the campgrounds, and soon to be Akimina road- means there aren't a lot of places to go right now.  Waterton may seem a tad different this summer.   

I love the effect this place has on me and my family.   

We really can't wait as long before coming out again!!

Planting time

Last weekend John, the kids and I helped Grandpa mow his lawn and plant his gladiolas.   

The kids were surprisingly excited to spend the evening there.   (I thought the notion of working all evening might, for some reason, not sound very fun to them?)    Turns out - Grandpas backyard in the spring is a little patch of heaven!   

While I mowed and John 'tilled - the kids climbed trees.  They each found a branch to call "their own" forevermore.  

I'll admit, I stopped mowing every now and then just so I could take in the blossoms that were pretty much EVERYWHERE!!

From 3:30 in the afternoon until about 8:30 that night the kids took turns helping Dad plant over 1500 gladiola bulbs.    It was a lovely evening.  We ate outside, the kids rode bikes and visited with Grandpa as he sat nearby.  

It's a good place to hangout in the spring time;)

Thanks April

Oh April sure was a beauty.

April definitely made up for March - and I loved it.

Conference, warm days, a week off of school...and the arrival of SPRING!!

For a good couple of weeks we were surrounded by the most beautiful blossoms and scents.   One day, while riding my bike home from work (oh yeah...I got a job at the elementary school every afternoon so I ride my bike to work with Nate and ride home with him.  Thanks again April;) I rode down one street that was full of blossoming bushes, giving off the most delightfully fresh, spring smell. 

April definitely got us all geared up and looking forward to summer.  

I even pulled out our trusty "milk can" for some good ol' summer time cooking.  

Um ummmm!

April also gave us lots of opportunities to visit with some of our cousins.   

Vivian, Maddax and Savanna stopped by a time or two, and we even enjoyed some wings in Lethbridge with them.   When they weren't visiting, my kids had a blast sending crazy dress up photos their way.     They also got together with Jewel's family and enjoyed swimming and visiting the brand new candy store downtown.   During one visit, they all came home with the grossest jelly bean game I've ever seen.    It involved spinning to see which jelly bean you had to eat.   It would then either be a delicious flavor or a horrid one.    Some of the grossest flavors included: vomit, rotten egg, lawn clippings and stinky socks,  and based on the kids reactions - the flavors must have been quite realistic.  The kids sat for hours (with a communal barf bucket on hand) inflicting torture on themselves and each other.   

Perhaps one of the sweetest things that April brought with it was the seasonal opening of our favorite burger joint - Dave's.  It was a long boring winter without our beloved snack shack.   We've already been there a few times and stood in line on opening day just for one of their tasty milkshakes!  (Thanks for this April;)

During our week off of school, John was asked to build a fence for someone in town.   He usually saves his fencing jobs for the summer, but John and I really want this summer to be reserved for our kids and family - so this was the week (for his one job this year!)   It feels good saying that;)

The kids were delighted when John unloaded a pile of scrap wood for them to hammer, cut and build with.   Sam made a handy little sign for the front of our house.   Nate was determined to build a playhouse for 15 people, which thankfully I was able to halt the production of until a "later to be determined date."   

Sam has started baseball and it didn't take John and I long to remember what it is we've signed up for.   Baseball games go LONG folks!  Twice a week now, Sam snarfs down dinner in a hurry and rushes out the door to be at the diamond by 5:30.  His games begin at 6 and don't end until well after 8.  He gets home and frantically chugs down another meal before going to bed.  (This kid is eating a lot lately - just sayin'.)    I shudder to think of how late he'll get home when he has an away game. 

Still though, despite the time commitment, Sam seems to enjoy playing.   He isn't an all star in any way (he was bummed this past week that he didn't even make it to a base once) but he cheers on his teammates and builds them up, which makes him so unbelievably awesome.  (Just sayin';)    

We've got only two more months until Summer, and what a summer it will be.

For now though, I'm content to just enjoy these last few days of this darling little month.   

Thanks April!

Easter Weekend

Easter Weekend was a dream.  

We did nothing of consequence.  Which seemed to fit perfectly well with what we wanted out of the weekend.

On Friday I did permit the kids to paint Easter Eggs.   I swear though, I can only muster up the patience for this craft once a year.   What a mess it can be!   (Especially when your 9 year old decides that nail polish would be a handy artistic medium as well.  Give me strength!!!;)

In an ironic turn of events this Easter weekend - Nate's fish died.   

(You know, that dumb fish that Santa had foolishly bought him?)   Nate seemed to handle it fine when we all discovered "FISHY" (that was his name) but perhaps John and I were a little too jubilant with our celebrations to notice otherwise.   He apparently walked down the street to Jewel's house and could barely hold back the tears as he Brooke the news to them.   

I'm sorry, but the thought of that still makes me laugh.  

I think he was inspired to copy his cousins after the death of their bird months ago, but regardless of his motives, he invited my sisters family to our house the next day for a funeral.   

Again, I couldn't stop laughing at the thought of it. 

But imagine that- his supportive relatives actually showed up the next day at Nate's appointed time!  (I wish I'd taken this all a little more seriously.  I would have changed out of my jammies.  Or at the very least - brushed my teeth;)

Mya had made up some perfect little funeral bulletins in Fishys honor, and his Aunts, Uncle and cousins all lined up to give Nate a handshake and some added support.  

Nate took a minute to say a few silly words.  Ava played "God be with you till we meet again" on the piano.  We sang. We laughed.  I cried. (but only from laughing too hard;)  and that was that.   

In the end, I don't really think his little Fishy Funeral was ever really about his fish.  

It sure made Nate feel good though, and solidified in my heart that he is part of a pretty awesome family!   

Speaking of that family, as if it wasn't awesome enough to get to see them at Fishy's funeral - Abby, Jess and I got to join Brooke, Ava, Mya and Jewel that night as we attended the Women's Broadcast together.   We don't always get together before the general broadcast, but we've decided that when we do - we will try to make it extra special!  This year, Jewel and I drove them around as they delivered white roses and chocolates to various women in our ward.   Some women were single or widowed others were just on our minds, but they each seemed to be truly delighted with these young girls' deliveries.   

A couple of the women even went out of their way to write letters or thank our girls, days after.   One lady's husband had died exactly one year ago and the white roses to her were such a symbolic reminder of new life and Resurrection.   Another women wrote the most lovely and gracious note to the girls telling them that she felt as though she'd had "angels" on her doorstep.   I think the girls (at least mine did) became more aware of how appreciated this small act of kindness was by some.  

After hurriedly making the deliveries we stopped off at DQ for supper before heading over to the stake centre to watch the broadcast together.  The broadcast was an amazing meeting in which we were all encouraged to love those around us more.   

I hope these darling girls remember the good feeling they had that night.  

I certainly always cherish every opportunity (no matter how rare) to be with them!