A big nauseating dose of reality

Here's a tip: When you take a 17 day vacation, it's hard to go back to reality. Ryan and I have been suffering from some serious end-of-vacation-depression after our Canada trip. I know you want to slap us because how awesome is it that we can take 17 days in the summer to vacation and believe me, I'm not complaining about that. This summer has been the greatest thing ever. Like the fabulous pot of gold at the end of a double rainbow. Except I don't know if my first year of teaching is what I'd call a "double rainbow" but I wanted to fit "double rainbow" into this post somehow. The good news is, we are suffering because we had such a great time. We packed in the fun this year and thanks to my mom being a wonderful grandma who loves to take care of her grand kids, we got to do these things sans children. Not that I don't like doing things with my kids but I have found that when it comes to Canada, they'd prefer to stay with my Grandma and play with their cousins.

The quintessential Waterton photo but what's special about this one is that there is no wind. I think it's because I've been living right. This reminds me of a fun Magrath story. One of my old teachers/church leaders stopped me in church and while we were conversing she asked me if I knew so-and-so. I said I didn't but that she was most likely younger than me. She replied, "Oh no, she can't be younger than you. She already has five kids." Well sister, she is five years younger than me. I guess I'll stay young forever because I only have two kids.

Beth was at our house for a week before we left and then they spent two more weeks together in Canada. I think there were only a couple of disagreements. These girls are fun.

Becky, the girls and I took a nice hike up to Crandell Lake. The lake was beautiful and even more lovely because of the no wind day that I created due to my good living. Grace declared that it had too many bugs. I think you would call her "a city girl."

My grandma had a crokinole board under the bed in the pink bedroom. We took it out all the time and "played". Did anyone know the rules? Hell no! Monti and Becky bought my mom her own board for Christmas one year and we actually played it the correct way this visit.

Don't mess with us when we're playing. I will talk some trash here and say that Becky and I kick crokinole ass.

Yay! Driving to Calgary/Banff. Let the wild times begin! Monti is still mad because I beat him at crokinole.

We stopped at Lake Louise first. This is where Ryan and I spent most of our honeymoon 16 years ago. I wish I could have captured the color of the water. The glaciers/light do something to it that makes it very turqoise.

I thought this picture looked a lot like one Ryan took of me on our honeymoon.

We obviously had different weather in April.

This made me a bit scared when we were driving in Banff. I kept thinking about the people who first saw this area and that is must have blown their minds. "What does it mean?!"

Columbia Ice Fields. Proof that global warming exists and it's sad. I had this idea that we would park and walk onto the glacier but only if it were 1849. We are standing where it was in 2000 and we still had a bit of a walk.

Toly/Van Fleets at the Banff Springs Hotel. Monti captioned this "Nature-1, Humanity-0" but I don't think we look too bad for being so old.


Monti and I wanted to take a tour of the small farm and town we grew up in since it was on the way home. Everything seemed so much smaller except for the trees. This is the farm we lived on. Monti and I learned to entertain ourselves with old farm machinery and star wars action figures. We also learned that snakes coming out of your kitchen sink drain were no fun.

Making ice cream just like the pioneers did.

Hanna went to the Lethbride Airshow with Ryan. The day before, a jet had crashed but luckily the pilot bailed out soon enough.

Good-bye Canada. Thanks for the good times, dill pickle chips, Earl's salads, mosquito bites and slurpees with soft ice cream.