Vacation

Well I don't normally post twice in a month but July was a bigger month than normal for me so here we have it. This year I took 2 full weeks off from work and headed out on my first trip with my father since I was about 18 months old, and you may be shocked but no I don't remember that trip.

Dad, Glenda and I headed off to Winnipeg in the van and I got to see such sights as the worlds largest easter egg...and well...that's about it. However, I enjoyed the drive with all the modern comforts like a portable DVD player, a cooler and several books. We stopped over in Yorkton, SK. the first night and then it was back on the road to Winnipeg.

I enjoyed the few days we spent there getting to see all my family and see some of the sights. A big moment for me was getting to eat a VJ's Drive Inn (their spelling) cheeseburger. I had heard numerous stories about these burgers and it was great to finally taste one fresh from the grill. I will admit on record that it was a very good burger, and I was completely sold on the french fries. They were fantastic all crunchy and good.

We headed back to Alberta on Friday stopping first in Moose Jaw and then they dropped me off in Calgary just in time for a wedding reception. Ashley was beautiful and Nathan looked pretty good too, so my congrats to Nathan and Ashley Beadle.

I had the following week off and got to just hang out at home and relax. I did some cleaning and organizing although not as much as I planned, but I am feeling very relaxed even if I'm not ready to go back to work.

Wedding number three for me this summer was Phil and Amanda's and for a change I went to the ceremony. Everything looked amazing and went smoothly - at least from where I was sitting. The reception was in Bragg Creek and wow was it decorated nicely. Congrats to Amanda and Phillip Waters.

So now I get to go back to my day-to-day life and look back on these lazy days with fondness. I hope everyone enjoys the rest of their summer.

Stampede

As a native Calgarian there is one event I'm always aware of and that's the Calgary Stampede. 10 days of tourists, parties, breakfasts, rodeos, and general fun.

I have always enjoyed marching in the parade once my feet go numb and this year was no different. We set off from the church at 6am which even for me is a little early....admittedly not that early and headed downtown. We hung out on the bus for a long time but eventually got to the band staging area and were able to head down for our pancake breakfast. Then back to the parking lot for our picture and off we went. I was glad it was overcast as this kept us from melting in the sun. It's always exciting to see someone I know along the route and this year I saw several and I've had more come up to me since to say they saw me.

Friday night we go to the grounds and see the chuckwagon races and grandstand show. The grandstand show was phenomenal and I loved the fireworks. It always seems like they're going to land on you but no actual fire (which if you know me you'll realise is a bit disappointing :) ).

Saturday is our carnival, BBQ and concert. So off to the church to enjoy the always fabulous food they have. I do love that beef on a bun. Then we had our program and I really enjoyed the guests. So much so that I decided to line dance right into them during the timbrel drill...never let it be said I'm shy or graceful.

So now I look forward to the rodeo on Wednesday and watching the tourists enjoy this great city of Alberta.