Vacation!

[Lindsey]

We are back from our whirlwind vacation! We were gone 6 days and it felt like so much longer because we fit so much in!

Last Tuesday we left work early to watch Layla in rehab, and then headed to my parents' house for the night. We had a good little visit and everything was fine until it was time to leave the next morning. It was about 9:30 and my parents were already at work. Layla started crying because she doesn't like being left alone and I just LOST IT and was bawling before we even got out the door. It's always been hard for me to leave her but now even more. 3 hours later, by the time we got to Edmonton, I stopped crying. My mom called on her lunch break and said she expressed Layla and she was just chewing on her bully stick. She forgot about us already LOL!

By late afternoon we had made it to our first destination: Jasper, Alberta. It's a beautiful little place in the mountains. I hadn't been there since I was about 10 years old so it was so great to see it again. We set up our tent (and thank goodness it was booked beforehand because every site was full!) and then headed into town. We ate some crappy food at a crappy restaurant and then went shopping. We needed some bear spray because the places were all sold out here before we left, and we also found a CHRISTMAS STORE You know I'm a Christmas nut! We got an wooden reindeer ornament for our tree that says Jasper 2010, a beaver playing hockey for my parents (lol), a snowman ornament for my best friend that says "Friends like you are precious and few", plus a "Baby's First Christmas" one for her baby that is due in September She got me a Christmas ornament when she visited last summer so I had to return the favor! We got back to our site and started a fire, played some cards, and ate some popcorn! OMG it got cold that night. Before we got into the tent we warmed up our pj's over the fire! It ended up going down to freezing overnight, and I was completely bundled up head to toe inside my sleeping bag!

The next day (Thursday) we got up early, showered, and headed to Kamloops, BC. I have never been there before and it is GORGEOUS! We got there earlier than expected so we did some driving around and walking down by the river where they had tons of stuff set up for Canada Day. We also drove to all the huge houses on the side of the mountain and then went to Scott's aunt and uncle's house. His uncle ended up having to work for most of the night (he works at a mine) but the rest of us visited and went to his aunt's friend's house for a barbeque and to watch the fireworks, from their giant house on the side of the mountain lol.

The next morning (Friday) we had breakfast, took family pictures, and then we were off to Pentiction, BC. Again, we got there earlier than expected! One of my good friends from back home lives there now and owns her own spa, so we found that and walked in on a manicure appointment lol, but she was happy to see us and we made plans to meet later that night. We went to Scott's other aunt and uncle's house and had some really good food and played with the kids and adorable dog! Just as we were leaving, the adorable dog ate one of my shoes So we went to Walmart to buy new sandals lol. We met with my friend and her boyfriend and we just walked up and down the beach along Okanagan Lake. It was beautiful!

As the sun was going down we thought it was time to leave and we went to Kelowna to stay with Scott's grandma. She has a huge condo! It was really nice to visit with her too. I met her last summer when she was out this way visiting with everyone. In the morning we had a light breakfast and drove 3 blocks to my uncle's house! How convenient that in a big city they only ended up living 3 blocks apart! I met his new wife last summer when we buried my grandpa's ashes. We really got along well! So we went to their house, met their beagle, Andy, breifly saw my younger cousin as he was on his way to the gym, and then they took us out for brunch! The Okanagan is known for fruit orchards, and we ate at a place called "The Jammery" which makes fresh jam, jelly, honey, and other stuff out of local fruit. It was neat because there was a window in the back where you could watch them make it! When we were done eating I went to the gift shop to get some jam to bring home for myself and my parents

On Saturday afternoon we left Kelowna and went to Banff, Alberta, for another night of camping! I was also there when I was around 10 but not since. This time we didn't have a fire pit so I was hoping it wasn't too cold! We set up our tent, went to town to eat, and then headed to the hot springs to warm up After an hour or so we headed back to our campsite, got into bed and played cards in the tent. Thankfully it wasn't too cold! In the morning, guess what we found? ANOTHER CHRISTMAS STORE! So we also got a "Banff 2010" ornament

On Sunday we went to Calgary for the Calgary zoo! I was there when I was little and it was HUGE! Okay now that I'm bigger, it's a little smaller But they had a lot of cool animals, lots of monkeys, giraffes, elephants, a hippo, tigers, lions, kangaroos, etc. We thought it would take us the whole afternoon but we were done in a couple of hours. Well, we were in Calgary, I might as well spend some of that birthday money! We found a mall and I went at it lol! After awhile we headed to Red Deer to eat with my best friend and her husband. I gave them the ornaments and they loved them! After our meal, Scott and I continued to Edmonton to stay with his sister in their new house. They just moved in on Friday so Scott helped with some lifting and mounting their tv to the wall. It's a really nice house but brand new so they are still waiting for finishes.

Finally on Monday, we made it back to my parents' house and Layla was so happy to see us and we were so happy to see her! I bought her a beaver pillow (a square little pillow with a beaver head, tail, and feet on it lol) and a Calgary Flames hackey sack and she loved them! My parents barbequed for us and we stayed for awhile and didn't get home until after 11:00 pm So we took another half day off work on Tuesday lol.

And there it is! My next vacation I think I'll just stay at home to relax!