Banff

Frank's new company invited us to Banff, Canada 

(along the Alberta Rockies about 80 miles west of Calgary) 

THE...MOST...BEAUTIFUL...PLACE!!! 

Seriously.  This post will be mostly pictures, and they don't even do it justice. 

The first couple nights, we stayed here...

On our way to the hotel, we took a little hike, then headed back to get ready for a nice dinner.  After dinner, the scenery was just so breathtaking that me, Frank, Suzanne, and and Chris played cards outside til dark (sun doesn't set til after 10).  After dark, we still wanted to play, so we found a cool room in the hotel and finished our game...I won, of course!!!

GONDOLA RIDE TO TOP OF CANADIAN ROCKIES

WITH CHRISTIAN AND JESSIE!

SHOPPING IN BANFF 

(with Suzanne and Chris)

then took the scenic route back to the hotel!

For two of the nights, Frank and I were asked to host 3 couples at dinner.  It was fun splitting up into smaller groups to get to know everyone.  Felt like we've known them forever!

When we left the restaurant, someone noticed that me and Mister Moose were sporting the same boots!..."who wore it better?"

The next day, we packed up and headed for Lake Louise, but on our way, took this amazing hike!

And just when we thought it couldn't get any more beautiful, we ended up here...

LAKE LOUISE

with the most beautiful color of water from the glaciers that surround it...stunning!  So really, this was a picture I took while at my table eating lunch...

AFTER LUNCH WE WENT ON A LITTLE CANOE TRIP AROUND LAKE LOUISE

...AND THAT NIGHT WE ENTERTAINED A FEW MORE LOVELY COUPLES...

The next morning, we rented a car with Jessie and Christian...

...and came across this guy...
(30 FEET AWAY...SERIOUSLY?!)
He was staring straight at me.  I was outside the car, but close enough to hop right back in if things went awry :)  He wasn't interested in us.  Just strolling along, eating berries, and occassionally "people watching"!

We continued on our very scenic road trip...



...passing
THE WEEPING WALL

GLACIERS GALORE

IMPRESSIVE WATERFALLS

...until we met our final destination.

A huge mountain of glacier that you could walk right up to.  A little chilly, a bit of a hike, but totally worth it!!!

Made it back in time for our last hoo-rah

GOODBYE LOVELY BANFF!

HELLO, MY THREE LITTLE MUNCHKINS

A HUGE thanks to Franks mom for staying at our house to take care of the kids...(they had so much fun!!)

...and this lazy lard!

"Cherry" glad to be 7!

GRANNY ANNIE'S FOR B-DAY BREAKFAST!

JUST ME AND MY GIRL FOR PEDICURES! (to mach her swimsuit, of course ;))

We attached this inviation to a little bag of cherries and delivered them to 8 lovely girls!  It's been so stinkin hot, it didn't even occur to me to check what the weather would be like on July 14th.  Turns out, wasn't so hot.  Actually, touch and go rain all day long.  So, about an hour before, we decided to come up with a "PLAN B"

PLAN B

Play UNO Attack

Eat a whole lotta pizza

Dance outside like crazy 7 year olds

Watch Matilda

Open gifts

Have red velvet cupcakes with sour cherries on top!

Not a bad day for a "PLAN B".  Turns out a cherry party can still be fun without going to Cherry Hill!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEAUTIFUL!

O Canada

Lethbridge, Alberta was always a trip I looked forward to.  We would go visit my grandma, aunts, uncles and cousins.  A long car ride (12 hours) with 7 siblings, listening to Billy Joel, The Carpenters, and ABBA.  Warm cheese (sweaty from the sun) with wheat thins, and lots of grapes.  This is where I learned to french braid my sisters hair.  It usually consisted of a few car problems along the way too.

So this year, I was taking my kids (Frank had to work) to Canada.  Also in the caravan was Brad and his family, Stacy and her family, Mark (from Louisiana) and his family, and my mom, dad, and Kevin.  Stacy and her family were meeting us there.  Since I was the only "spouseless" parent, my sweet mom agreed to be the passenger in my car to pass food back to the kids, start movies.....you know, spouse stuff.  We called her my "M'USBAND"!  When we to Canada, I had my self a "GR'USBAND (grandma), and even "BR'USBANDS" (brothers).  These are all the kind people who cleaned my windshield, brought my luggage in, sat in the front seat with me, disciplined the kids....

And we were off!  Logan watches the food network shows, and he saw a place in Butte, Montana on Man vs. Food and asked if we could stop there on the way.  I ran in by the others, and we were all game.  So here we are at Joe's Pasty shop for some meat pies?!

The drive was going really well.  We were about 45 minutes from the U.S./Canadian border when I asked my mom to pull out the passport envelope to make sure everything was all ready when we got there.  (I had put all the passport in an envelope and put them in the center console two days before we left so I wouldn't forget them).  Well, she opens the sealed envelope, and says, "only your is here".  Seriously?...SERIOUSLY???  I've been driving 11 hours!  I started panicking.  Phone bars were really low.  Frank wasn't answering.  I tried all my neighbors.  When they called back, I asked them to go into my house and look for the passport cards.  They looked and looked...nothing.  I called Frank and he was still at work.  He said he'd go home and look for them.  I was starting to panic - lump in my throat.  The boys told me that they said a silent prayer, but I asked my mom if she would say a prayer with us while I drove.  It was such a sweet one.  For some reason it was so touching to hear her testimony, her gratefulness, her faith, her love for the Savior, and her love for me.  She is so sincere.  She was crying, so of course I cried too.  We had a moment...a moment I needed and was so grateful to have with her.  I felt so much better :)

Anyway, we got to the border, and my brother (ahead of me) explained the situation to the border patrol, which I was thankful for since I would have been all nervous and made them unnecessarily suspicious.  They told me I would need to go inside.  So, all 17 of us headed in.  They told me that I need proof that these are my kids.  They had to make sure that Frank knew I had them, and that they are who I say they are.  So with that, Frank got busy finding birth certificates and writing a permission letter.  While I was in there, I looked out the window and saw this...

My dad and brothers (and their wives) searching my car, bags, everything....AND Mark and Kevin stealing some Fruit by the Foot!  An hour later, we were given the green light (just a little bit anxious that I might not be able to get into the US again) to see my grandma.

Here's the recap:

PICNIC AND HIKE AT WATERTON PARK

PADDLE BOATS AT MY UNCLE ROD'S HOUSE

RED DOG DINER TO TRY POUTINE

POUTINE pu/ti/n {noun} a French Canadian dish of French fries, topped with brown gravy and cheese curds. Sometimes additional ingredients are added.

I kept getting in trouble in Canada.  I must have had a sign on my head that spelled TROUBLE.  I was taking a picture of Brad ordering when the lady at the register firmly told me that there were no cameras allowed and asked me to delete the picture immediately.  I did of course, but what I didn't expect was being emotional again.  I hate getting in trouble.  I seriously had to choke back the tears.  I wasn't trying to cause any trouble...I promise!!

WATCHED OLD HOME MOVIES

Here's me singing at the family Christmas party when I was Carly's age!

RAYMOND PARADE FOR CANADA DAY

(We also got to sing "O Canada" for the opening song at church - it's in their hymn book.  Sent chills down my spine.  A beautiful anthem!)

VISITED MAGRATH (our old stomping grounds)

population 2000 (that's 2/3 of my high school).  Pretended we were kids, and played on the school playground!  Nothing like some healthy competition between siblings and in laws :)  I kicked every ones trash!

GROWN-UPS DINNER (plus Kevin ;))

NEXT IT WAS...

Where some of us canoed...

and some of us just goofed around...

We played cards...

Hung out...

And danced our hearts out!

BARBECUE AND RACES AT AUNT SUE'S

IN STERLING (even smaller than Magrath)

I know this collage is funny with the caramel rice crispy treats smack dab in the middle.  But after eating half the pan of those bad boys, they were exactly that...IN MY MIDDLE!  YUM!

I think we have had races every single time we go to Canada or any other kind of reunion.  Everyone gets split up into age categories - even the adults.  My grandma is the lucky one who gets to sit in the shade and hand out prizes!

THANK-YOU GRANDMA - YOU'RE THE BEST!!!