End of the Month

Last week my parents took the kids camping. And then something unexpected happened... Barry surprised me with a few days in the woods. He booked us the same two nights in Kananaskis. What a treat. What would I have done, had he not? If we'd stayed home?  Laundry [which is mounded up nearly as high as I am] Wash the floors [which are currently in a most embarrassing state] Dust [ick] Sort through toys [easiest to do when the littles are away, because then they don't try to rescue everything I'm trying to get rid of] We would most likely have gone out for dinner at least one of those nights... And we may or may not have used a movie gift certificate we've had for AN ENTIRE YEAR NOW, and still not used...

Instead though, we got to get away for a few days. It was fab.u.lous.

Off they go...

We headed towards the mountains on a beautiful afternoon... Hardly a cloud in the sky.  We took our mountain bikes with us. And truth be told, I could have SO EASILY been talked out of taking our bikes... In fact, I might have tried to resist by saying something along the lines of "how on earth will we store them once we get there? We can't leave them on the truck. I'm sure they don't want us wheeling them through the hotel" And for some reason, Barry not to be discouraged, actually called out and found that we could store them in a secured spot within the building.  Good on you Honey, cause I would totally have talked you into just sitting in the pub... And let's face it, it wouldn't even have been that hard to do. Sad, but true.

Until we got there, that is.. It was so nice. The weather was AMAZING. It was so quiet. Going for a mountain bike seemed like exactly the thing to do. Now here's a little background info, before we were married, and long before kids, we used to mountain bike, in the mountains. A fair bit. When we got on that trail, and started out, and after my heart lurched into my throat from the first sign [because I have the most ridiculous, nearly debilitating phobia, about running into a bear] I was okay. I rang my bell A LOT... I, under NO circumstance, wanted to come across a bear enjoying berries somewhere along our path. But we did the trail, which only ended up being about 5 km [off-road] and my heart was racing, and I was breathing heavy, and I thought.... "Oh yeah.... I love this...."  And I do love it. Everything about it. It was exactly the same realization that came upon me when we got back on ski's last February. Oh yeah... I remember this now.... This was something I loved to do...

 

 

  How lucky we are, to have this an hour from our doorstep.

 

 We made it to Ribbon Creek, [below the village] and stopped to rest and of course, take pictures. When we finally made it back UP the mountain [which we did... huffing and puffing, but without walking] we ditched our bikes, and headed to happy hour at the pub.  

Because it was Thursdays, there were plenty of specials and hardly any other customers.

Believe it or not, Thursday night we sat on the rooftop patio, marveling a the weather. Finally around 8 pm when the sun went behind the mountain it began to cool off. In the middle of the night, and were woken by thunder and lightening, which didn't last long, but was pretty spectacular sounding as it rumbled down the mountains. It began to rain, and didn't stop all night long. In the morning, we woke to snow on the higher elevations. I have lived here my entire life, and I still can't believe how our temperature can fluctuate 20° in a matter of hours. Needless to say, I was not well equipped for the cold/drizzly/rain temperatures, but my plan ahead golfer husband had all the gear we could possibly need in the back of his truck.

 

Chilly, but the views are still spectacular. 

 

Later that day, I was treated to some Spa time. Lucky me...

 The next morning, we again woke to perfection. Hardly a cloud in the sky. We drove to the golf course before heading home, to check out the pro shop... This place is absolutely breath-taking. I even took a few pictures of my sweet heart, as he longingly looked out towards the course. [He played the day before, in what felt like sub-zero temps, hence my spa time] He hasn't golfed as much this year... I haven't golfed at all this year, which is comical considering last year I joined a weekly league... My heart just wasn't in it this year I guess.

How could you ever tire of this view?

 

 Us.

 Getting away for a couple of days was so nice. Just what we needed. So important to re-connect with one another. We don't do it often enough. Our date nights, once a month, were successful for Jan/Feb, then seemed to peter off completely... It sounds so easy, but it's hard to fit it in somehow. [That and a $10 an hour sitter...]

We've got to try harder to get here more often. [away from the city, into the mountains] I keep saying it. I mean it. I'm passionate about it, and then I can so quickly be talked out of it, or not push for it hard enough...  This cycle has to change.