Holiday: Banff edition

We were on our holiday for 10 days, 10 seriously wonderful days! It was so nice to get away, enjoy each others company and just sit back & relax. Our first stop was Banff, we checked into our campsite, set up and got down to business- roasting hot dogs & making smores! Serious happiness!

 The moon on our first night was so bright you could hardly look at it- it was pretty amazing. We stayed up late, sat by the fire, drank wine and watched the stars. I saw a shooting one and quickly made a "have an amazing holiday" wish. We watched deer cross through the campsite by moon light, it really was kind of cheesy how perfect the night was.

 We drove up to Morraine Lake to climb up rocks, go canoeing and check out the spectacular views! After that we headed over to Lake Lousie to take some photos and dip our toes in the icy water.

We stayed in Banff for two nights, woke up early, headed to Starbucks and then it was off to Nelson.

The Most Wonderful Holiday

Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy. unknown

We are home from the most wonderful holiday. We were on an adventure in British Columbia & saw some of the most beautiful views. We canoed, went kayaking & swam in lakes. We drank wine & ate grapes off the vine. We dodged mountain goats and watched salmon swim up stream. We roasted hot dogs & marshmallows. We relaxed around and floated in a pool. We soaked in a hot tub and watched the stars. We hiked and pretended we were kings of the castle. We picked heart shaped rocks and skipped others. We wandered through an Enchanted Forest. We ate ice cream, lots of ice cream. There are 1oo's! of photos to go through. We are so grateful for each and every moment, even the rain on the way home because it brought the clouds down so low you could reach out and put your hand through them. Magic.

Exploring in the city.

A couple weekends ago we decided to find some new walking paths, we found one that was far too steep for our liking but had a fantastic view. On this stop our paths crossed the loveliest couple who told us about the Fort Edmonton Footbridge.  Off we went and it was so worth it! Neither of us even know this place existed but the views are beautiful. This impressive bridge crosses the North Saskatchewan river and leads to a great trail. We however headed off the trail and down to the river. There was so much sand to walk through, rocks to throw and warm water to wash off your feet. The sun was shining and we completely forgot we were even in the city. It was PERFECT! Here are some of my favourite photos from the day.

(the too steep trail)

Around Here: Summer adventures

A trip to The Edmonton Valley Zoo. 

It was much better than I had anticipated but has a long way to go as far as good zoos go. 

This is Lucy, she is old & beautiful.

Paddle boat adventures at the zoo. 

Our condo court yard got a picnic table so Anna I go sit there, she plays, I read. We have a table in our backyard but for whatever reason she only wants to sit here.

My good friend Annie was here from Nelson and it was so great to see her. 

K-Days! Edmonton's big summer midway, I had not been here for probably 10 years.We wanted to take Anna... and I really wanted mini donuts. The night started out pretty miserable due to a sweet little girl (not going to mention any names) not wanting to do anything but once she realised these rides were for her she was all in.

She wins! Pretty exciting!

We've been spending a lot of time at our local park and when kids wrap the swings up and ruin it for everyone it makes me a little crazy. In fact I was "that mom" at the park telling a couple teen girls not to do that... HA! Eye rolls were a plenty! 

I somehow managed to climb up here to fix the swing, way to go Momma! Can you believe Anna took this photo! My heart raced a little faster when I was going through pictures later that day.

This past weekend was a S'mores themed scrapbooking crop at Treasured Memories and Friday night's photo booth was hilarious. Well... for us four it was. I laughed so hard I think I threw out my back! 

Brunch at Milestones complete with raspberry mimosa and eggs benedict. We eat there often but this was a first for brunch. I swear this is the best brunch I have ever had in a restaurant! Delicious! 

I know, I know! 

Trying on snowsuits at Costco.

Lame! 

Have a wonderful week friends!

xo

Beautiful Jasper

 We packed our car up Friday afternoon and headed off to Jasper to go camping. 

 I'm the girl that packs a real wine glass camping. Keeping it real.

Waking up on Saturday in the tent was cold.... super cold! Fortunately the forecast rain came in short bursts that we managed to avoid for the most part.

Anna & Jasper Bear.

On top of Whistler's mountain after riding up on the Tram. We left as a storm was rolling in, in fact as our car started it's decent the rain came in as.... snow. Brrr.

 It was sunny in town so that's where we headed. 

The beautiful Athabasca Falls.

Maligne Canyon. 

One of my absolute favourite places in Jasper. It truly is amazing!

A giant, beautiful heart boulder. Love.

Hello there!

Miette Hot Springs.

 There is a glacier cold pool (ok, maybe not that cold) that you can go in and then get in the hot pools. I put on my brave pants, counted to three and jumped! 

WHOA! COLD! 

I could not get up the ladder fast enough and practically mowed down a group of strangers to get in the hot water... which stung like a thousand knives because I was so cold.

 Laugh out loud hilarity! 

Sounds like a ridiculous thing to do but it was pretty awesome!

Good Bye Jasper! Thanks for a great weekend! Until next time...

xoxo

Our Summer 2013 Manifesto

go to the beach

visit the zoo

go camping

trip to BC

visit a winery

float in a lake

go for ice cream- lots!

go on picnics

collect heart shaped rocks

go fishing with Daddy

go hiking

try 2 new cocktail recipes

make smores

have a BBQ

go to a football game

visit 3 new parks

farmers market

see a parade

go on amusement park rides

pool party

take a week day off and go on an adventure

fly a kite

build sand castles

pick berries

soak in a hot spring

try 3 new panini recipes

make cake- just because

put paint on canvas

create a bedroom oasis

visit the city festivals

collect drift wood

make inspiration hearts

eats loads of salads

soak up the sun

stay up late and see the stars

buy fruit on the side of the road

feed the birds

teach Anna a somersault

celebrate Canada Day

watch fireworks

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What are your summer plans?