Feb Fun

February Highlights:

Quarantine Baby!  As of today, we've experienced 5 different Quarantines in the last 5 weeks. Like, what?  (John and Sam are the only two people who have managed to not get dubbed as a "close contact" at any point.) Nate and I finished our isolation yesterday and will return to school tomorrow.  Jess has one.more.week.to.go. 

I completed my first University English course last month.  Passed it with a C+ (gulp) and then started three more courses two days later. This has been a bit of a hit to my ego, as apparently good grades don't actually come easy.  I'm trying to step it up this time around, but I am crossing my fingers (just in case) that Cs really do get degrees. What are the chances someone will be wiling to hire a dumb teacher?

John and the kids when skiing last month.  We try to get out once a year, which is just enough to keep them at a level where they can hold their own on basic runs.

This year we tried a different hill (Powderkeg) in Crowsnest pass and I actually really liked it. Granted, I wasn't the one skiing, but I really, really love the Crowsnest Pass.  I was more than happy to let the kids play, while I explored the area.

I had to snap a photo of Nate one day while we were at Costco.  It is hard to believe that masks have been a part of our daily life for a whole year now.  I'm amazed at the examples of resilience and patience that I have seen in my kids. I mean, no samples are offered at Costco anymore, yet they are still willing to don a mask and come help me shop. 

The biggest Highlight of February came when I got to watch Sam be ordained a Priest, and Nate a Deacon.  I mean - how sweet are these men!  I love each one of them and am so grateful for the role they play in my family and in my home. 

 

Happy Birthday, Miss Abuela!

Jessica turned 14 a few weeks back and we celebrated it in the most mild, laid back, ghetto way possible.  
Truly, I don't think any kid (of mine) has had a birthday celebration that was more lame than this one.

Like...we are talking "new level of lameness" here.

Because of COVID , we could not have a party with friends, so I made a plan for us to drive out to waterton and have a weiner roast/board game night in one of the kitchens. 

For some weird reason though, EVERY camp kitchen was being used. Every.single.one!

Why are so many people using the park in the winter now? (It used to be the case that we'd go out there and feel entirely alone, but suddenly it is like Grand Central Station all of the time!). Anyways - we spent about 40 minutes (no joke) looking for a place to have our Birthday Weiner Roast, and finally we just pulled over on the side of the road and cooked them up by the ditch.  The Chief Mountain Border is still closed, so luckily we did have this road mostly to ourselves, but seriously, eating out of our van was not the "birthday adventure" that I'd pitched to the family.

Jessica is always so thoughtful and is constantly thinking of things to bake for other people, I was determined to bake her the BEST Birthday cake EVER! 

Luckily, she happily settled for a frozen cake from DQ.

(I sent the boys to get the cake and they made sure that their pet name for her "Miss Abuela" made it onto the cake.  (Nice touch boys.)

She got the game "Throw, Throw Burrito" as a gift and we all set in immediately to play a round her two. Darn it all if it wasn't the Birthday Girl who got the bloody nose.  Just one more thing to make her birthday a little less awesome than birthdays past.

By the end of the day, I was feeling like we'd kinda missed out on our chance to really make this girl's day a special one, but then...

...I got a text from a local breeder letting me know of the safe arrival of a new litter of puppies.  Can you believe that? It's like the universe was trying to tell us that "now was the time." 

So, in a most effortless way, I announced that we had one more birthday present for her, and with that, we all settled around the computer to select who would be the newest member of our family:

 And just like that - BEST Birthday EVER!

Update:

Since Jessica's Birthday, we've gotten a few more pictures of our little pup. (We technically don't get him until April 16th and it is driving me crazy!). We are in love!!!

(3 weeks old)

(4 weeks)

Hike #3 Cameron Lake and #4 Crandall Lake

 My third and fourth hikes were done withOUT the kids and let me just say that John is not the one who has held us back in weeks past.  It was so nice to get out with someone who knows how to dress for the weather, and bring his own shoes, and carry his own things!

We figured we would take a little stroll along the Dipper Trail up to Cameron Lake. 

I wanted to take a picture of the gaudy plastic bears wearing the darling hat my niece made for me. I totally can't stand these red bears, but I figured my niece would enjoy seeing her hat worn by others;) 

The lake was especially beautiful that day.  Part of me wanted to walk across the lake to the other side, but unfortunately, our "little jaunt" up to Cameron had been a 5.8 km trudge through the snow and I knew we had that same distance to go before reaching the van again. 

***

We had so much fun hiking together that, a week later, we decided to go out again, without the kids.

As we walked into Crandall Lake we talked about the kids, our work, and our dreams. 

 Okay, we talked of John's dream of owning a Tesla, which is where all conversations eventually end up, but still;) 

It was actually a really quick walk up to the lake and it was fun to reminisce about times past when we would hike this trail with some of John's parents and siblings.  Seeing the lake frozen over and covered with snow was a lot of fun.  

It was fun to sit on the lake and listen to the sounds of winter.

It's so weird and eery to hear the water gurgle and the ice groan under your feet. 

Overall, we've really come to love seeing these familiar places, with a perspective that only a new season can give. Four hikes in just over one month. 

Look at us go, right?  

Fog

Fog is my favorite.

Day or night, I love the quiet effect that it has on my soul.

 

Hike #2 - Bertha

After a super successful New Year's hike, I figured we were on a roll.  

I felt a little deflated, a week later, when I was only able to talk a few family members into joining me. 

And I felt even more deflated when I realized that some of my family members came without winter footwear and gloves.  Really?  Sneakers?  

What part of "winter hike" is hard to understand?

It's almost as if they weren't listening, or something...

We turned back, on account of flakey children, but not before getting to enjoy the scenery a bit.

Still, totally counting this as a hike!

Yeah...we're hard core.

 

Hike #1 - Bears Hump

On December 31st, while completely high on "New Year" vibes and energy, I set a goal to complete 52 hikes in the next year.  52 hikes in 52 weeks, people!

Hike #1 was this jaunt-up Bears Hump on New Years' Eve. (Off to a good start, eh?;)

The hike up was actually more tolerable than I expected, probably because the snowpack served to eliminate the ordinarily large rock steps that are usually hard on my knees.  The snow also worked to my advantage on the way down as I simply sat on my bum and slid my way down the mountain, switch back to switch back. (Fastest descent, ever!)

It was actually a spectacular experience to stand at the top with my family and look at the wintery scene below. It gave me all the happy, positive, "New Year" feels and I made sure to insist to my family several times (while sliding down) that we should do this hike from now on, on January 1st, every year,  forevermore!

I was met with silence every time, but I'm pretty sure they dug the experience, too. 

 

Ice Fishing

Butcher lake is located halfway between Waterton and Pincher Creek, AB.  We'd visited this lake in the summer after a hike to North Drywood Falls and knew we would want to return in the winter.

We've not had much luck with ice fishing in the past and had high hopes that Butcher lake would be the place to finally get a "catch."

The tent only fits half of our family, so Abby and I spent our time reading books and exploring the woods.

(Not a bad way to wait on some fishermen, you know?)

In the end, nobody caught a fish, but other groups around us did, which has me thinking that our lack of success in the ice fishing department is probably an "us" thing more than anything else. 

In short - we hold no ill will towards the beautiful Butcher Lake.

 We'll be back again!

 

"El Tokyo" - Celebrating 19 years

My brother offered up his farmhouse over this past Christmas break, so three days after Christmas (on John's and my 19th anniversary) we loaded up the kids and headed down to the farm.

Can I just take a second and say that I LOVE saying "down to the farm." 

 It is the coolest place to be and I love my brother for letting us enjoy it from time to time.  

Clearly, I should have taken the time to adjust the settings on my camera, but these blurry pics will have to serve as the only reminders of a really awesome anniversary dinner. 

We had just arrived at the farm when the kids ushered us into one of the bedrooms with strict orders not to come out until they called us.  While we played a game of Chess, we listened to the kids whispering and shuffling around the kitchen.  

Occasionally we would hear outbursts of, "Did you just eat that?  That was supposed to be for the garlic bread!" or... "A strainer!  Oh my goodness - Chad and Heather are the BEST!" or my favorite, "You put the lemon pie in the freezer?"

After half an hour we were called out and greeted by the staff of "El Tokyo" a newly established high-end restaurant that specialized in serving spaghetti, garlic bread, salad, and both apple and (frozen) lemon pie. 

  

After they had taken our orders and served us, we insisted that they join us for dinner, and we all listened as they entertained us by recounting the details of their kitchen experience.  Their efforts in the kitchen were beyond comical. 

I was impressed that they had purchased food, filled a cooler, and even surprised us with thoughtful gifts.

It was an awesome way to celebrate the past 19 years.

I hope to visit "El Tokyo" again. The frozen lemon meringue pie was really quite refreshing! 

Christmas Day

A front room full of torn wrapping paper and extra boxes. 

Breakfast pizza and fruit.

A drive out to Waterton.

An afternoon nap.

Board Games and puzzles.

Tomato, bacon sandwiches, and seafood chowder.

Those are the makings of a really superb Christmas Day!

 

Twas the night before Christmas

Oh, how we love our Christmas Eves!

For the past decade, we have celebrated Christmas Eve in the exact.same.way.

This year, we longed for family to join us.

There is something about not being able to gather with family that has made me want to that much more.

We were definitely thanking our lucky stars that we were at least able to have Max join us. 

It absolutely wouldn't have felt like Christmas without him.

We did our usual steak and seafood dinner with all the fixings as usual.  

Mushroom sauce, potatoes wedges, shrimp cocktail...and most definitely...LOBSTER!

After dinner, we drove around town and looked at Christmas lights, opened up our Christmas jammies, and settled down to watch Polar Express, just as we always do!

If we didn't know better, it would have felt just like every other Christmas, every other year.  

There is something about not being able to gather with family that has made me want to that much more.

Christmas Vacation

 The week leading up to Christmas and the week after Christmas are my favorite two weeks of the year!

No school, few phone calls, and lots of time together.

Some of my favorite holiday activities included:

Watching John and these three brave the windiest day ever out on Payne Lake. 

John was determined that it was "just a little blustery" but I'd beg to differ.  When your bucket, skates, coats, and boats all catch a breeze and go flying across the lake, entirely to the OTHER SIDE OF THE LAKE faster than you can catch them, it is not blustery.  It is windy! 

We were able to find all of our things in the ditch prior to leaving for home, but oh what a fun (and funny-looking) time that was.  haha

After that, we stuck closer to home, realizing that the skating is better when you're a little sheltered from the "breeze." ;).  We found this awesome spot along Lee Creek that somebody else had worked to clear.  There was even a hockey net down there.  Fun!

We also discovered the BEST hill for tobogganing and it is right close to our home! 

(All the other good hills are a whole two-minute drive from us. We loved not having to commute. ;)

We gathered around this table a LOT over Christmas break to play board games and enjoy Zoom visits with cousins.  

We stopped by my sister Jewel's house at just the right time.  We were just dropping off a present and visiting in their driveway when all of a sudden a social distancing sing-along among neighbors erupted.  Do we know how to crash a party, or what? Apparently, Santa visits her cul de sac early!

The holidays have also provided lots of opportunities to enjoy these glowing sparkling lights at night.

Not going to lie, there is a really good chance that our tree will stay up until March.

Just sayin.