A Late Christmas

Christmas has come and gone but still we wait with wrapped presents under our tree.

We have been waiting for our son to finish his work schedule and come and join us but we have enjoyed seeing pictures of our grandchildren celebrate the day.

We did have a nice Christmas dinner but no turkey yet.

While we have been waiting we have gone for some nice drives to enjoy the scenery.

We found some turkeys that made it through another Christmas.

Today, we headed into the pass to go cross country skiing.  It was interesting that along the highway there was no snow and then just a few kilometers off the road and a little elevation the conditions were perfect.

We made our way to lake and it was easy going. 

We climbed up a little hill to enjoy the view before continuing on our ski.

We came to the first big hill.  Ron made it up with no problem.  I took my skis off and made the steep climb carrying skis and poles panting and puffing.  At the top, I enjoyed a gentle ski following my leader.

The views were pretty spectacular and the weather was perfect.  Two more times I had to take my skis off and walk down hills.  It is kind of strange trying to fit in when people ski past you as you carry your skis but at least I got my steps in.

Tomorrow we will try a new adventure and wait another day.  Our Christmas has to wait until Saturday when we will open gifts and have our turkey dinner.  Our Christmas month continues.

December News

When Cheryl left on the 2nd of December I spent the day with our son.

Ron left for Edmonton but I was well looked after by my son who has learned to make delicious meals.

I then went to Three Hills to work for a few days.  It was great to set up shop in my old office and see my friends there.

One of the evenings, I spent with Marion who had me for a delicious dinner and an evening of tea and talking.  The next evening, I went to Emma's (my boss) and we cooked a dinner for the next year's team of travellers.

It was a great evening of food, fun and fellowship.  On Wednesday, I left for Pincher Creek.  It was a long, quiet trip home and it sure was nice to get home but Ron was still away.  On Thursday evening, Ron arrived home.  The next morning, he left for Ontario.  On Saturday, Ron went shopping with Jenn and the kids.

On Sunday, he went to the kids' Church Christmas concert.  I got to see pictures and videos.

While Ron was away, Bruce and Lynne stopped in for tea.  It was so nice to see our good friends from Swift Current.

On Monday, Ron picked up his mom and they arrived in Pincher Creek in the evening.  So Donna has been with us for just over a week.  We have had a few outings, tea and treat times and yes, she likes Christmas movies!  On Monday, we went to Frank and while Ron and his mom went through the museum, I went for a walk through the trails.

Today, Ron and I started off our day with a windy walk. There are lots of deer around the town.

I had a physio appointment for my jaw which has caused me issues for the last 4 months.  Donna had a hair appointment and Ron and I had a nice tea time.

 

We will celebrate our Christmas later this year due to the boys' schedule and I am sure there will be lots of games of pool and darts.   Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas from my tea cup to yours!

Christmas Time

My house didn't look much like Christmas because I was waiting....and waiting was hard but it was worth it.  Ron had two weeks of training in Edmonton which is a long time but my good friend from Ontario came for a week to help pass the time and make things feel a little bit more like Christmas.

Cheryl arrived on the Saturday and immediately discovered the winds of Pincher Creek.  On Sunday, we went to church and then started then the decorating began.  By the end of the day, we were feeling a lot like Christmas.

On Tuesday, we checked out the stores in Pincher Creek, walked along the creek and enjoyed a tea and some treats at the local coffee house.

We spent lots of time cooking and baking and enjoyed sampling.

We took time to play pool and darts.  Cheryl was catching on and we had lots of laughs and shared the wins.

At the end of each day, we would enjoy our dinner and watch a Christmas movie. 

On Wednesday, we set aside the baking and decorating and went to Frank to go through the museum and walk the hike. 

We drove along Crowsnest and made it into British Columbia before turning around.  Cheryl found a bear and got a nice hug.

We stopped at a falls on the way back to enjoy some more views.



On Thursday, we headed to Waterton and were very adventurous in going on a hike. 

It was the first time that I was actually ahead of someone on a hike.  We had a great walk through ice and snow and were proud of ourselves when we finished.

On Friday, we did a little bit more baking, watched another Christmas movie and headed down town to watch the Christmas parade.

On Saturday morning, we packed up the truck and headed to Calgary with snowy roads for part of the way.  We arrived at Spruce Meadows and shopped the best Christmas Market ever.

After wandering through lots of booths, we went to the Crossiron mall to shop the stores there.

Our theme for the week was Christmas, getting 10,000 steps, tea and friendship!.

It was a great Christmas week with a wonderful friend.

Just Because

This morning I sat down at my desk to do a little bit of work.  I looked at blogs from across the world from the students that I work with.  I sent a quick email to my boss across the province.  Yesterday, I called my parents, talked to my son, received a picture from my daughter and grandson and of course, checked out facebook and instagram.

 I get emails that my fitbit is low in battery, my screen use and all kind of other updates.

It's really crazy how in an instant we can be in contact with people all over the world.  It's all good.  I have mentioned to the students a number of times how it use to be when the missionaries would have to wait for a letter to come in the mail before they could know what was happening at home.  Now, I get an email, facebook or WhatsApp message and can get an answer to them in minutes rather than weeks or months.

You know, it's all good but I still love those moments when I can sit down with someone and enjoy their company.  Ron has the next week off before he leaves for Edmonton and I am looking forward to his company. 

I'm excited about Cheryl coming on Saturday and that we can decorate the house for Christmas, go for walks and enjoy our tea time.  I get so excited when our son comes with his little fur family and nothing is better than a hug from my boy.  I was supposed to be heading to Ontario next week and oh, I would have loved to have shopped with my daughter,

 played with my grandchildren and have tea with my mom and dad.

Yes, technology is good but there is nothing like face to face and that is why I will get ready this morning and walk to church with 50 km gusts of wind instead of sitting at home and watching it via facebook.  So just because you can sit at home and visit with people all around the world, it doesn't always meet it's the best way.