July 2019

Waterton, Canada

Prince of Whales Hotel tour. We had fun sneaking around where we probably shouldn't have been. Ally had heard about a ghost so we went looking. No luck though. We did find a closet where employees signed their names all over the wall. 

Lake Louise. The photos are not in order....bare with me and my computer skills here!!

 Ally managed to fall into the lake while we were walking along the shoreline. No surprise there! 

Ally and Tyler throwing chunks of mud back and forth. They played this game for quite some time before we turned around and headed back toward the shuttle. 

One sad soul fell through this log jam, not from out group, but he quickly removed himself and was back onto of the logs again. People were crossing these logs to get to the rock climbing on the other side. 

Crypt hike and pretty flowers along the way. This bear grass was gorgeous. The cute bike was part of the Canada Day bike parade the town had this morning. We missed the parade as we were on the ferry heading to our hike but this felt like we got a little taste of the action.

The Crypt hike had caves to shimmy through and old steel ladders to climb. Quite the adventure.

Ally took a sip from this cool glacial stream. I did not! She said it tasted delicious and she didn't get ill so she must have gotten a clean sip.

We made it to the top of the Crypt Lake hike. Isn't it pretty up there? The hike was so hard but worth the effort. We ate a clementine and relaxed at the top but not for too long because we had to catch that ferry back to town.  The feet photo is at the bottom of the hike relaxing with our toes in the lake. Ally found a set of rainbow rocks and had fun taking artistic photos with her rainbow of color.

Byron and I were shopping around and realized they had a matching Banff hat to the one he had from Maui on his head and then I found matching t-shirt to the maui one I was wearing.....you think they cross market a little? I always have felt like the resort towns all have the same souvenirs with a different name slapped on them but this is some serious proof to our assumptions. We both laughed but didn't buy them again. Maybe we should have. I kind of like that sweatshirt.

We made it to Banff just as the Womens US world cup was wrapping up. We were able to watch the final game at this restaurant. We missed the game playing live but sat down just in time for the rerun to start. We thoroughly enjoyed the game and the Canadian fries with gravy. The girls won and we were all so excited!!!  

To get to Lake Louise we stood in a very long line and boarded a shuttle bus. When did visiting a national park get so difficult? 

We loved hiking along the lake shoreline trail and taking in the views. 

The Spice Hut was located next door to our hotel. When we checked into our room we noticed the menu to this Indian restaurant in the room. I was wondering if they were related to the restaurant owners or something. We headed over for dinner our second night in town and we were NOT disappointed. So so so delicious. We actually ate there again the next night and ordered four different entrees. Those were just as outstanding as the ones we had the first evening. Sold slam dunk. We will be back if we are ever anywhere near this are again.

We had lucked out with the weather thus far but the forecast for the rest of the week was to be rain. We plunged into the Johnston Canyon hike regardless of the not just threatening but leaking skies. This muddy hike was accentuated with really cool waterfall features so luckily the highlight wasn't the views.

We climbed through this cave and on the other side you were right up close to the raging waterfall. The spray hit you in the face and added to the rain falling all around.

One of the falls along the Johnstons trail. Such a pretty gorge. Lots of mud today.

We also did the Paint Pot portion of the trail which was an additional few miles. This was unfortunately not to spectacular though maybe if it weren't so rainy the pots would have had more color in them. We will never know. Each of the pots were supposed to be a different color of blue or green. Underwhelming. I did appreciate Ally's addition of mud to her cheeks. It kind of summed up the day for us.

Ally and Tyler had loads of fun on the hotel slide. Up and down, up and down. My favorite moment though was when a dad was standing at the bottom of the slide waiting for his little son to come down. His had loads of facial hair and would be quite shocking if you weren't expecting anyone to pop out at you. As he waited patiently at the bottom his little son was terrified at the top and he kept delaying his descent. He finally got word at the top that his son was heading down the slide but apparently at the last minute his son aborted his launch again. When Ally came blasting down the slide he stepped out to catch what he thought would be his son. Oh my, you should have seen the look of shock on her face as she came barreling towards this father; that was as far from her father as one can look. The dad saw his mistake and leapt backwards trying not to lay even a finger on her but the shock had already occurred. Ally let out a little yelp as she swept by him without making any contact. The Dad and I had been exchanging smiles as kids had come down the slide and he had been waiting and waiting..... when he accidentally nearly caught my teenage daughter he was clearly embarrassed and looked over at me to gauge my reaction. I was busting in laughter, tears actually... I was trying so hard not to but I just couldn't help myself. Ally's reaction was just too rich. He then started laughing as well and Ally started laughing. He said excuse me to Ally and all was forgotten except I can't stop laughing anytime I think of her startled expression and little yelp at the thought of being mistakenly caught by a little boys dad. This may be my favorite moment of our entire trip.

We were going to continue North but ended up cancelling the last day of our trip. We could only get one night in Jasper and the weather was looking crappy. We wouldn't be able to see anything so we will save Jasper for another trip. We headed back to the old USA just in time for the Gardner's 5th of July fireworks show at Bitterroot lake.

Catching a burger in Eureka and enjoying our Canadian bucket hat souvenir. She's one cute Canada tourist.

This photo is terrible but my honey and I enjoying the fireworks at the Gardner's lakehouse. We love that we get invited to this incredible party. So happy to not miss it this year.

Penny lounging on the floor. What a nutty little lady Penny she is. I'm so grateful for the Roomba Vacuum that saved her existence with us. We were nearly going to give her to a cousin of Ally's friend Sophie. The hair! You wouldn't believe the piles and the hour a day I was sweeping the entire main level.

Ben and Tyler out for a tube ride. This is Ben's first time riding a tube. He was pretty nervous but was okay going if Ty would go with him. Ben and Ty are surviving having their brothers both serve missions at the same time. Ben took down his brother's photos and replaced them with a photo of Tyler after his brother left for his mission. Not sure how Cole feels about that but Tyler was flattered. Nothing like having someone look up to you.

The bathroom remodel continues. I built a false wall in these two closet cubbies because they were ridiculously deep and couldn't be functional as they were. Then I added the shelving and painted them to match the room. I will have decorative baskets with my bathroom items organized in each one. Maybe, if we ever get to finishing this room that is. Did I mention we started this bathroom the last week of March and we are into July now? The tile is looking great though!

I saw this garter snake while I was mowing and called Tyler over because he's a fan. I am NOT! Penny was equally intrigued by the snake Tyler was swinging about. Turns out if you don't grab a snake close enough to the head it will bite you.

Check out the knuckle on Ty's index finger. That little rascal of a snake got a good bite in. He thought it was pretty funny, I was horrified. Luckily there's no real health risk here. We rinsed it out a bit with antiseptic and he was on his way with a good tale.

The Anderson's are in town visiting before BYU soccer camp. We are so glad they could come again. It is always a joy to have their family stay with us. We of course had to take a day and take a few new hikes in Glacier Park. This was at the end of the St Mary Falls hike. It was a downhill first and then uphill hike. We made it to St Mary Falls but turned around and didn't go onto the Baring Falls. The kids were hungry. Turns out they get a little grumpy when we don't keep their tanks filled up.

Later in the day we hiked the Highline Trail. There was nobody out as it was past eight o'clock in the evening when we started off. We ran into a bighorn sheep on the trail and it wouldn't yield. It just kept walking real slowly along but not moving off. Seriously slowed us down quite a bit. Apparently we are not intimidating enough to bother with.  Max is wearing the Indiana Jones hat we gave him. He is serious about his costuming and was dressing as Indiana Jones consistently while he was at our place. He found the hat in the basement and we couldn't see why he should have it. Perfect fit for such a cool guy.

Tyler and Max had the best week. Max was a cool kid and hung out with all of Tyler's teenage friends all week. He went to the movies with the ladies and tubing and everything. Tyler's friends impressed me to no end by accepting Max as one of their own and fully including him in their conversations and activities. It was pretty astonishing to watch. They should all be big brothers! They would be amazing.

This is our tubing day with Tyler, Dresden, Brian, Max, Ally, India, Gabby, Adam and Bridgette. The kids had a great time swapping in and out of the water. This was our first weekend with the boat in the water and they just got the docks in right in time.

I have been harvesting loads of lavender this year. I had sent off for a beer making distiller so I could make some lavender oil. This is our first go at it. The whole activity took far longer than I thought it would and was also much more interactive. It needs constant babysitting to keep the condenser cool. I've got some tweaking to do in order to make this easier. I did end up with lots of lavender hydrosol which we are using all the time. It is great for cuts and mosquito bites. Theres antiseptic naturally in the plant and it heals you up much quicker than without. It also takes the itch out of mosquitoes quite brilliantly.

One of Max and Tyler's projects this week was a Viking Burial ship. They carved this out of an old tree stump and put a fish in it. Soaked it in a bit of gasoline and then lit it up at sunset. We were all shocked at how well this viking ship burial worked out. When they recovered the ship in the morning the fish was entirely cremated. The ship could have been used again for another burial. Not a bad end for a pond fish I'd say. 

The bathroom remodel continues....It looks like it's time to call the glass measuring company for the shower glass and doors. This should only take three weeks, right??? We are getting close now. Byron and I have started using the bathroom now all except the shower.

India, Ally and Gabby hung blankets around the exterior of the trampoline and then watched a movie on my laptop and slept out on the trampoline tonight. Tyler and Max shared a room up in the bedroom on the main level. Max was super excited when I suggested he and Tyler bunk in together. Ty is awesome and was happy to hang out.

                                                                           This party is changing locations now to Provo, Utah. Ally and India are starting soccer camp in at BYU and Brian and Tyler are beginning EFY staying in Helaman Halls. I hope they all have fantastic experiences in one of my favorite places. I have the best memories of my time in Provo. The first time as a 13 year old at Academy for Girls all the way through college from my fun freshman year to marrying my sweet Byron. Provo holds the best of memories for me. 

It turns out they announced this will be the last year BYU Provo will host EFY on their campus. This makes me so sad but I am grateful, so grateful that my kids got to get their feet on that campus and decide for themselves that they have the goal to get themselves back to the Provo campus. Now, keep those grades up.

So what's a gal to do when she has no kids about? I spent a fun week at my parents house visiting old friends and eating delicious food. This is Sonja, Deborah, Jan, Erin and Wilma having lunch with Hai at Thyme and Seasons. My cute friend Theresa Gehring joined us there as well. So fun to catch up with as many friends as I could. I had dinner at the Indian restaurant with my sweet gals from my neighborhood. Cindy, Kathy, Liz and Anne were all able to make it. It's always good to catch up and reground myself with the best of friends. I was also able to get together with MaryLyn, Patty and a bunch of gals from Legacy where I used to work. I visited my dear childhood friend Rebecca and got to meet all of her lovely little ducklings. Her family is so precious. I love my new friends in Montana but it's hard for new friends to feel as dear as your old friends and family. There's just something about being home with those who know you best and have walked significant portions of life with you. Oh how I love my dear Utah peeps.

Picking up Ally and India on their last day of camp. These two future BYU women soccer players had a great week. It won't be long until they are back and ready to play their hearts out for this team.

My friend Rebecca seriously just made me mother of the year. She called me with extra tickets to a live filming of Studio C while we were in Utah that she couldn't use and did we want them. Yes, most definitely yes. I had this secret information while Ally and India were at soccer camp and couldn't even tell them. When I did share the news they were so excited. They called their friend Hailey and these three musketeers had a fun evening reconnecting.

We went to our ticketed showing and had a great time. Loads of laughs and enjoyed the new cast.

We went to the Creamery for a bit of dinner before driving home and ran into James...a member of the original studio C cast. He was saying he was heading over to see the next filming with the new cast for the first time. The girls were definitely excited about the idea of trying to get in with the stand-by line. So we did. We waited and were able to just squeeze into the second live filming event that evening. It was such a good evening and the girls had such a good time. Best mom ever!!!

We meet the Anderson's for a day at Lagoon before we were scheduled to head back to Montana. These kids had a blast and we got there right at opening. They walked right not at least four or five rides before we ever saw a line. I rode colossus a few times and then was already feeling motion sickness. Lagoon is just not my happy place. My brain lines to be sitting still and not being rumbled about.

We got to go to church with our North Salt Lake Ward. It was a delight to catch up and see our dear friends. The young women are all growing and changing so quickly. I was a young women leader when we moved and it was so hard leaving those sweet girls. I am so proud of them and the decisions they are making. Thank goodness for Facebook so I can keep up with them a bit. We stopped by Indias house one last time on Sunday. Her hedgehog was pretty entertaining. The girls got to give each other another final hug.

Connor and Amber came up for Sunday dinner at my Moms place. This kid is so cute. Ally and he played chase around my Moms island for a good hour. He was happy to be passed around and we all got a turn receiving broad smiles and laughs from Connor.

While we were intern we got to swim with Charles, Lisa, Luke and Kate at Northcrest. They are getting so big and showed off their awesome diving board skills. Fun to hang out and catch up. We met them for lunch the next day as well. When we got home we had Elder Blye and his family coming to stay with us for a few days. He was one of our first missionaries assigned to our ward when we moved to Montana. I tell all the Elders when they are leaving to come back and play when they get their release. Elder Blye brought his cute new wife, his mom and Dad and his brother and sister. They took Tyler into Glacier with them. We took them boating on the river. Such a fun time.