Skip to main content

Kicking Horse

My hands hurt!  As most or all of you know, I'm on blood thinners for my clotting disorder.  That means my skin is horribly thin and even the slightest scuff will easily tear off a top layer of skin here and there.  The main target: my hands.

This weekend I had the terrific pleasure of going with my cousin and a (wonderful) group of her friends to Golden, British Columbia to celebrate in some pre-wedding antics and rafting on the Kicking Horse River.  Thanks to the rafting my hands got terribly scuffed but it was totally worth it! ;)

My cousin's name is Shauna and she is amazing.  For as long as I can remember I have been in love with her and her family.  She is fun, hilarious, kind and BEAUTIFUL.  A total package kind of gal who I've always admired and wished I was like.  She's a mere 2 years older than I and has finally found the perfect man to see her through all her days.  Wedding to take place next month.

My Aunt Babette was also there along with Cheryl, Shauna's sister in law--although I have a hard time believing Cheryl isn't of blood relation as she fits in SO incredibly well.

So, I drove to Calgary on Friday afternoon and we loaded up 2 cars and headed for the mountains.  The first night was filled with the laughter and food and beverages you'd expect.  Now, originally I wasn't going to raft.  Yes, I was apprehensive and I was a little late on phoning the company.  However, that Saturday morning I phoned the rafting company to see what my chances were of getting in on the adventure and...they said sure.

It was amazing.  Not only was it beautiful scenery but it was exciting and...breathtaking.  The cold water in my face certainly did take my breath away!!  There were also a few times I thought I was going to die!  The guide made us do something called "surfing".  It's when a raft goes over a huge rapid and gets sucked in by the opposite current.  We ended up getting stuck with all the water gushing into the raft and the current was spinning us around.  We were hanging on for dear life!  I know he knew what he was doing the whole time, and I was with incredibly fit and capable people--but I thought we were going to capsize for sure.  (Sorry, no pictures!  Too busy hanging on!)

Afterward, we headed back to the chalet for a scrumptious steak dinner (thanks Auntie!) and some crazy bachelorette shenanigans.  Too funny!

So, that means Nola and Daddy had a weekend all to themselves!  They had a great time playing and shopping.  I was grateful to have gotten away and felt even better knowing they fared so well.  Kevin decided it was high time Nola had her own wagon and we've been looking for a while.  Well, with Mom out of town it was the perfect time for a little indulgence!


Now it's Sunday night and Kevin's in the garage painting a lawn ornament for me.  ♥ him.  And I'm in the house listening to music from the TV music channel relaxing (Nola's already in bed) and thinking about my upcoming week.

Looks like some family pictures tomorrow by a dear friend of mine (Jess).  Third anniversary on Tuesday...can you believe it?  Grandparents on Wednesday and coffee with a cousin on Thursday.  I think there is a play date in there somewhere also.

I think its time to sign off and go enjoy my deck and the gorgeous warm summer night its turned out to be.  Think I'll reflect on my life and count my blessings...that could take awhile ;)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Last Time You Said My Name

The last time you said my name was yesterday. I had no idea that would be the last time I heard you say Jeanette... It seems surreal to have already lost one of our parents. This evening, my husbands mother Suzanne, died of cancer. We found out she was sick on April 20th. She went to the hospital for what seemed to be gallbladder issues only to discover there was more. Suzanne chose to go home and process the information. She decided not to pursue treatment. 69 days later we have lost her. She was 67. As I have participated in this dying process, there have been many emotions. So many memories and thoughts surface. Suzanne and I didn't get along very well and that isn't a secret. We were very different women connected to a man we love(d) dearly. Although we had difficulty relating and often times irritated and annoyed each other, I am amazed at how it can all melt away at the end. The fights, misunderstandings, and even anger, is softened. Not forgotten, but the heart is

Calgary Visit @ 27 weeks

I think it's going to be a hold-your-breath kind of week. Baby girls heart beat was at about 53 today.  55 is the danger zone cut off.  It kind of stumped Kevin and I.  The ultrasound tech was super nice and, of course, they don't really know what sort of news they're giving us when they tell us the heart rate.  They don't know why we're there, but we went a little quiet when she said.  I wasn't really expecting that. Today Kevin and I decided to get a disc of pictures of our sweetheart.  She was having a party today while they were trying to take pictures, wiggling and bouncing. She's about 2 1/4 pounds. Her feet measure about 5.4 cm. So with the lower rate, the pediatric cardiologist (the amazing Dr. Fruitman) came into the room immediately to have a look for herself and we had the consult right away.  She asked me how things had been and I told her about this past week.  I took a hard fall on the ice with Nola in my arms and suffered a terrib

Hard to say/show thank-you

It never ceases to amaze (and hurt) me just how difficult it is for people to say "thank-you". I realize it is the Age of Entitlement and everyday etiquette/courtesies are nearly unheard of, but I for one am getting sick of it.  And if you're close to me, you know I've been getting sick of it for quite some time! I have an uncanny ability to remember people's birthdays.  I don't find it hard to write it on the calendar I look at all the time.  I don't find it hard to snag a card while I'm on one of my quick shopping tours.  It's even easier to stick a stamp on it considering I keep a roll in the drawer, and there is a mail box on nearly every corner. I work hard to remember everyone with a Christmas card.  I don't find it too much to sit down for one hour and sign a bunch of cards with a little good will showing the people in my life that I think they're important and I wish the best for them. Funny enough, it doesn't come back