We had a fabulous time visiting Jasper...it was hot and the kids were tired but we took in the view and marvelled at how different this country of ours is. We were in awe of how God's hand created such beauty and took some time to realize how lucky we are to be able to see it and experience it. That was the running theme for the whole week...gratitude and appreciation for being able to have a holiday and travel across 3 provinces. To have that time together as a family was very special, we don't get to do that too often and it really was time well spent. I am so glad that we did it. There is always other ways to spend the money... and we are usually very aware of every penny we spend...but the memories we created are worth so much more.
My favorite part of the week was the drive through Saskatchewan and travelling to find Murray's Grandparent's old farm. It was the farm where Murray's Mom grew up and although no one has lived there in many years and it is quite rundown, it was beautiful. The view around the house was amazing...the rolling hills of that province, with the fields all planted, the dots of trees throughout the land and the winding roads were, to me, more beautiful than the mountains. The space welcomed us like a warm hug and quietly spread out it's beauty for us. The mountains were more like a 'hey, look at me, I am big and beautiful' (and they were), but the prairies are more subtle, not so loud, not trying to show off, just quietly there to enjoy.
Murray and I talked about the differences and how it reminded me of different types of people....I am definitely a prairie girl and felt more comfortable with the prairies!
Other highlights of the trip..........the water park at West Edmonton Mall, the rollercoasters at GalaxyLand, watching Grace be so brave on the swings, seeing Tyler's confidence on the pirate ship ride, Abby wearing her movie star sunglasses in the van, watching the kids keep track of their own stuff in their suitcase (much easier to travel now that they are older!), trying to figure out how many times we hit a Tim's drive thru, getting our picture taken with the giant golf ball guy, the crazy variety of emotions that filled that van as we drove, laughing at Grace's funny comments ('let it out Abby' as Abby was coughing!), going on the hunt to find the farm, the looks on the kid's faces as I dragged them through Ikea (I was the only one who enjoyed it I think!) and getting pulled over for speeding on a secondary road in Saskatchewan (thankfully no ticket!).
This week we are sticking close to home for Murray's second week of holidays. We did some very needed yard work yesterday and today we are planning on painting upstairs in the kid's bedrooms. The sky has clouded over again and it looks like another day of rain, I am glad we got the grass all cut yesterday.
Cheers to another great day......
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