Summer Fun in Canada

Oh, Canada! My Home and Native Land....
I LOVE going home and this years trip home proved to be one of the best ones ever! We stayed for a full two weeks, relocating a few times, but had a fabulous time! I really do love going home!!

Our trip started with a later than planned departure from Denver on Friday afternoon! We have never made the drive before now so we were excited for the adventure ahead and were not disappointed! The first day we drove to Butte Montana! It was little scary around 11pm when we were unexpectedly almost to Butte and realized we didn't have a reservation. We hadn't made one thinking that we didn't know how long it would take to make the drive so thought we'd play it by ear! About an hour outside of Butte I started calling every hotel in the town. All said they were full with no hope of a "no show'. Finally I called the "Days Inn" knowing our next option would be detouring about 45 minutes to Helena. I will forever LOVE the days in! They had a room for us! YIPEE! We all piled into a small hotel room and instantly crashed three to a bed! Adam, Annie and Logan in one bed. Spencer, Garett and Me in the other!

The next morning we woke up and headed off to Breakfast at Denny's. While we were waiting for our food Annie says "oh, Mommy, Daddy, Happy Anniversary!". It was so cute and totally funny! Had she not said anything, Adam and I would have probably not realized it was our 12 year anniversary for at least a few more hours! We were so focused on the task at hand - eating and then getting out of Butte - that we both totally forgot! Thanks for the reminder Annie! Adam, I love that our anniversaries are usually spent driving somewhere in the car! I get to be with you the WHOLE day! I love you!

The rest of the drive was beautiful and the kids were great. The drive was spectacular as we went through Flathead lake, past Glacier National Park and into British Columbia. Everything went smoothly and everyone kept busy reading books, watching movies, coloring and playing game boys! ( I LOVE GAMEBOYS- they entertain for hours on end in the car!)

We arrived at the Cabin around 4pm and Mom, Dad, Ryan and Nic and their kids were all out on the boat! Adam, the kids and I changed into our suits and headed down to meet up with them. They came and picked us up on the dock and we were able to stay out on the water for a few more hours! It was so fun. Wake surfing, tubing and the best waterskiing I've done in YEARS! (thanks Cliff - he's my trainer who helped me build back some of the muscles I had as a teenager :-) Anyway, for the next week we enjoyed spectacular weather (in the 90's) and smooth water on the lake. In the mornings the guys (and me a few times) would go golfing, be home by 11 and we'd head out on the boat. Then come in for dinner and just kick back in the evenings. The best part of the boat was watching the older kids face their fears and try waterskiing and wake surfing. Spencer, Annie and Garett all surfed with Adam after we thought up a tricky way to get them on the board! Justin was able to surf too! It was awesome to see their looks of surprise when they got on the board and didn't nose dive into the lake. One memorable moment was when Spencer and Justin were literally launched into the air, off the tube, and did syncronized back flips into the water! They both came up laughing! It was awesome!
Mom had a BRILLIANT idea to bring two girls, Elyse and Bridgette, to babysit so when the kids were tired or cranky, the babysitters would take them back to the cabin. They also played with them NON stop while we were hanging out. Made me think how nice it'd be to have a mother's helper. It was a very relaxing week! I just need to mention how much I LOVE the cabin! Not just the cabin itself, but the fun we have there, the surroundings, the scenery, the feeling and most of all the memories it holds for me. We've had it almost 19 years (this fall) now and I have such fun, fun memories there. This was our 4th summer in a row going up and I think we figured out we've been up 5 out of the past 6 summers. Our kids LOVE it just as much as we do! Thanks for always letting us come Mom and Dad and thanks for a great week!


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After the cabin, we headed back to mom and dad's in Cochrane (still so weird to say that). We spent a day in hell, I mean a day at the Stampede grounds, thinking it would be so fun to take the kids! NOT!!! It was hotter than heck and humid to boot. We were all hot, quickly became grumpy and didn't want to spend 2 billion dollars on rides. We went on a few rides, walked through the huge barn to see the animals and got right back on the train to head home! Unless we're watching the rodeo or the chucks, remind me not to take 8 children under 11 years old to the Stampede ever again!!!! AHHHHH! The best part about the day was that we met mom and dad at PETER'S DRIVE IN for dinner! It has been YEARS since I've eaten there and it was sooooo soooooo YUMMY! :-)




Adam and Ryan had leave on Sunday to come back to work and Mom flew off to Julie's for Reecey to be born on Monday so Nicole and I got to spend the week hanging out at the house and entertain the kids! It actually ended up being a great week together! Monday we just did dental appointments and let the kids play at Nana's. Then Tuesday we headed down to South Calgary to visit my friend Grady and his wife Anna and their two ADORABLE children Emily and Evan! It was SOOOOOOO much fun!!!!!! The kids had a blast swimming in Lake Buena Vista, while Nic, Grady, Anna and I visited and caught up on life! I've known Grady since I was 4 years old- which is weird to think because that's how old his little girl is. He has always been such a great friend to me and one of the few who makes an equal effort to keep in touch. I LOVE his wife and told Grady that if I lived in Calgary I'd probably end up better friends with her than I am with him! She is so great! Perfect for Grady, a wonderful mom and tons of fun! Here's a shout out to ya Grade! Thanks for being such a good friend! You are my oldest:-) friend! You are in my prayers!!


Grady and I at Lake Buena Vista


Grady, Anna Lisa, Emily and Evan

Wednesday we hung around the house, took the kids to the park and then headed to the mall to find Ryan a Calgary Stampeders t-shirt! It was a low key day but still lots of fun! Nic and I ended it with a date night with dad to see the movie "License to Wed". It was nice to have a break from 8 children!

Thursday was probably the highlight of my trip, which had to be pretty high since every day of the trip was a highlight! Anyway, that morning Nic packed up and headed out to pick up Ryan at the airport. (The guys were flying back in to drive with us down to Mountain View for the Ellison (more like Sherwood/Christofferson) family reunion!) Adam wasn't scheduled to come in until 8:00 that night so I loaded the kids up and met Jessica and Nena (used to be) Saunders at this fun community center by their houses. There was a huge fountain pool and a playground for the kids to play in so while they played, Jess, Nena, Alice Evans, Ann Rawlings and I hung out and caught up. Jess was my best friend through jr. high and part of high school. We lost touch because we went to different High Schools but have in recent years started keeping in touch a little. I absolutely LOVE her and her family. They were always my second family and every memory I have with them is good one. I haven't spent any significant amount of time with Jess since high school days and it was SOOOOOOO fun to see her, talk and catch up on life! I spent a bunch of time visiting with Nena as well! She is sooo much fun! Sitting there with all these awesome women, who used to be a major part of my life made me a bit sad that I don't live at home. I LOVE Colorado and LOVE all of my friends here, but there is something to be said about those people who have known you your whole life! They are like family in many ways! It meant so much to me to recconnect with all of them and feel a little of the sense of home that I miss being so far away! As they day moved on it was 4pm before we knew it and time to head back to mom and dad's to pack up and be ready to pick up Adam. Jessica, Me and Nena
Jess, Nena, Ann, Alice with all our Children!

When we got home from the community center I packed up, Logan got Granddad to pull out his "Po-Knee" and give him a ride! Logan LOVED it and the couboy hat! so cute!

When I got all packed up Adam called to say his flight was delayed 2 hours! Sorry honey, but it couldn't have worked out better, as Tom, Jessica's dad, had let me know that an old friend of mine, Jay Auvigne, was coming into town with his wife and family and would be getting to their house around 8:00. With Adam's flight arriving at 8 I thought I'd miss seeing Jay, but now with the delay, I had enough time to stop in and see him, meet his wife and see his kids! I've known Jay since Jr. High as well. We were always good friends and from the day I met him I always knew he would join the church. When he was in college he did get baptized. He went on a mission, came home, went to BYU and played on the golf team there. We kept in touch while he was on his mission and hung out a few times when he came home. I haven't seen him in about 12 years! Strangely, when we lived in California, a friend of ours had served his mission with Jay. They would always tell us how he was doing but I never talked to him or saw him! Anyway, with Adam's flight delayed I was able to stop out at the Saunders house and hang out for a while! It was so much fun! Jay looks great, his wife, Laura, is adorable and they have the cutest family! 6 kids and one on the way! WOW!!! Who'd a thunk? As a bonus, I was also able to hang out a little more with Nena, as well as Tom and Wendy, Stacey and her husband Aaron and Dave (his wife Lisa was in Cali visiting her parents)! What a flashback to all be hanging out at the Saunders! It was so much fun and so great to see everyone!! My kids loved it too. You'd have thought they'd been there a million times they felt so at home. Logan took a special likeing to Nena! It was so cute. Notice in the pictures the color difference from Nena (aka the mexican) and Logan (AKA tha Albino). Anyways, a HUGE shout out to the Saunders family! You are all so awesome! Even though I don't see you very much, you are still family to me and I love you all!


Nena and Logan


Jay, Stacey, Dave, Me and Nena


Jay and his wife Laura

From the Saunders I rushed to the Airport to pick up Adam and we headed down to Southern Alberta for some more fun! The Ellison reunion turned into a Sherwood/Christofferson Reunion as none of the other Ellisons could come! It was well worth the trip! We were able to catch up with the Sherwood cousins and see all of their cute kids! We also were able to hang with our own cool family! Dan and Jill, Laura and Kevin, Mom and Dad! We went horseback riding with the kids and spent some time out in Waterton. We love it there and did all the traditional stuff: The waterton Prince of Whales Hotel, the Waterfall and OF COURSE, ice cream! It was a beautiful weekend! It makes me miss home!

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Once the reunion was over we were back in the car for a long 15 hour drive home! The kids were AWESOME once again! They have proved to be good little travelers which, as we told them, makes us want to take more fun trips with them! We are certainly blessed to be able to do these fun things! What will our next adventure be?