Back in Ontario

After about 7 days, 300 or so pictures and 1 red-eye flight we are finally home from Alberta. Gerben and I had a great time in Alberta. The weather was absolutely beautiful. Especially when we got up into the mountains. It was definitely cold and dry but the views were breathtaking. Our first stop was in Edmonton where we spent 4 days. Gerben had a booth set up for a show so we spent a few days at that. On Saturday, Gerben and I drove down to the Banff/Lake Louise area where we checked in to a beautiful log-cabin hotel for 2 nights. This place was so tranquil and relaxing. I would definetly go there again. The hotel was simply stunning inside and the views were equally as wonderful outside.

On Sunday we went to Banff to ski but unfortunely for me that was fairly short lived. The area was beautiful and they had some really nice runs but my poor legs just couldn't handle the skiing. In no time my legs were just killing me so we had to call it quits pretty early. After that we heading into Banff and enjoyed wandering around the town and a relaxing meal. After that we heading back to the hotel and relaxed in the jaccuzzi in our room. It was heaven after a long day on our feet.

By Monday, it was check out time. On our way to Calgary we decided to stop at a trail and check it out. I learned pretty quickly that it was just too steep of a climb for me to handle. Gerben decided to head on up the trail without me. It ended up being a much longer hike than he anticipated but I think the views at the top were well worth it. Once he was safely back at the bottom of the hill he confessed to me that the climb was actually very steep in parts and that he almost turned around. Of course, Gerben is a very stubborn man and he toughed it out to the top. I don't think that giving up on a challenge is in his vocabulary.

All in all we had a great trip. It was nice to have some time away from the kids. They had a wonderful time at their aunt and uncles home in Strathroy but by the time we got there tonight they were really excited to see us and ready to come home. The girls were exhausted so I know they had a great time. Emma said that her favourite part was jumping on the trampoline and playing with all the Barbies. I seemed like both kids grew 2 inches while I was gone and Natalia seems to have expanded her vocabulary by about double. I can't believe the change in her in only a weeks time.

Thanks Mariska, Al, Miranda and Kirsten for giving the girls a fantastic holiday while we were away. You are the best and we can't thank you enough.