I've been on vacation. D and I went down to Lethbridge from Monday to Thursday to visit his dad. Stuff we did, a List:

• On our drive down we stopped in Nanton for lunch and to see their Lancaster (airplane) Museum. Nanton is a very quaint little town south of Calgary with lots of antique shops and a few cute little resturants. The museum was quite cool. They had several examples of plane nose art that I quite liked.
• Tuesday we went shopping. Bought far too many books (but really what do you expect) and just enjoyed the day together.
  
• We also got to see part of a parade. Whoop-Up Days apparently started on Tuesday and as we were going shopping, we ran into it.
• Wednesday we went to Waterton and took a boat cruise of the lake. It was really windy but the ride was really smooth inspite of the choppy water. The boat took us from the marina in Waterton to Goat Haunt in Glacier National Park, Montana. This was my first time in the States. We stayed for 20 minutes; that was plenty long enough for me. The combination of the mountains and lake are beautiful and I would recommend Waterton over Banff or Jasper any day. Its really neat how it goes from prairie to mountains in a few kilometres. We also took a drive up to see Cameron Falls and Cameron Lake. The only wildlife we saw on the boat was a spruce beetle. But we also saw some grouse and a bear (he was too fast to get a picture of). We also saw a deer but since she strolled within inches of people, I wouldn't consider her wildlife.
• Thrusday we drove back to Calgary, where we did some more shopping. Davyd bought be a card game, "Killer Bunnies" which is very cool. We had supper with Jenette and Chris and then drove home where my brother, Clayton had let himself in so he could stay before leaving for Korea.
  
• I also went to the Fringe on Sunday, Friday and Saturday. Very fun and crazy but I didn't get to meet Nathan Fillion. : ( Oh well, maybe next year.

Gasp!

I found my first white hair this morning...

Sometimes I forget how much I love the country. I went home this weekend for a going away party for my brother and cousin but it turned out to be more than that. I picked raspberries and canned them. I went canoeing on the lake with my dad. I sat around a campfire with my family, laughing and telling stories. I was surrounded by trees and weeds and bugs and water.

I'm going to go back on the long weekend. We're going to float down the Athabasca River for two days and spend a night camping on the river bank. If anyone would like to come they're more than welcome. There will be room for 1 in the Zodiac with me and my parents or you could rent a canoe. Let me know if you want to come.

I've probably spent more time with my family in the last six weeks than I have in the last year and its been nice. It feels good to connect with my past, where I grew up and the people who helped shape me into who I am. But I've also been missing my friends.

Busy

So I ended up with both Cortney and Devon for the weekend. D and I picked them up on Friday night and my very busy weekend commenced. On Saturday we went to Star and Eric's to play and then to see "Over the Hedge," which, by the way, is a pretty good movie, not amazing, but good. Sunday we when to Heritage Days, where we wandered around through many of the pavillions, at some Ukrainian food (the kids were not feeling adventurous) and when the kids got bored we went home and then to the spray park. Monday we went swimming in the wave pool at Millwoods Rec Centre. I discovered that having a GameCube in the basement is a wonderful thing as it allows one to banish the kids to the basement without them being too bored so one can have a little peace from the constant talking. I really missed my alone time. But that said, it was a really good weekend. The kids went home having had fun and happy. I'm sure we'll do it again.

Now, I should really go to bed; 5:15 a.m. comes far too early...

Auntie Lorien

Last night Davyd and I sat down and converted my old D&D character, Lorien into Riddle of Steel. Starting on Sunday, he's going to be reviving the campaign with all the old characters and one new one. I'm quite excited about it. Lorien was my first character; these are the people I learned to game with. It should be a good time.

My niece, Cortney, is also coming in for the weekend. We're going to go to Heritage Days. I've never been before and I thought it would be a neat experience for her. I haven't really spent much time with her or her brother Devon and I'd like to build relationships with them before they become teenagers. I'd like to be the sort of aunt they could come to if they got in trouble or needed some advice. They're great kids and I'm missing their childhood.