Summer update

What a wonderful summer!!

I realize that I am again slacking in my updates, but this is because it has been so wonderful and we have been so happily busy, that I have had little time to spend inside on the computer!!
This is the first summer since we moved to Calgary 6 years ago that we have spent the entire summer in (or at least pretty close to!) the city. After all my complaining about the cold, rainy spring, and "never ending" winters we always seem to have being on the wrong side of the mountains, this summer surprised us with "never ending" perfect weather!

I started back at work in July, so we knew we didn't really have any "vacation" time to spare for a long trip anywhere. In addition, both Dave's parents and my parents are currently in the process of moving houses, so we decided to save our annual summer Ontario trip until the fall. Instead, we have been having such a great time "staycationing": enjoying all the fun and family-friendly activities Calgary has to offer, as well as a few weekends in the mountains.

Here are a few of the highlights:

-Stampede!!: for this year's 100th anniversary celebration, we were joined by the Marton family: Dave's sister Tara, her husband Jay and their daughter Chloe. We did our best to experience as much as we could: from several pancake breakfasts, the rodeo, concerts, deep-fried-Oreos, and touring the grounds (really, any excuse to wear our cowboy gear!!). It was a great visit, and while our "Stampede experience" has changed a lot over the past few years (i.e. now that we are more "family-focused"), Stampede week never disappoints: so much fun!! Thanks Tara and Jay!!

-Sikome Lake: we "discovered" this lake early in the summer when the weather was hot enough to send us searching for a beach. We had been in the past, but now with a little toddler who loves the water, Calgary's answer to a "beach" (a man-made lake complex in Fish Creek park) holds a lot more appeal! It is so close to our house, and allows Elise to wade in the water and "play" in the sand, while we can people watch and pretend we are at the ocean. Love it!!

-South Glenmore Spray Park: again, another "necessity" for the hot summer we've been enjoying. Elise is hilarious as she tries to figure out how to navigate around the spray, but she actually prefers climbing on the playground, swinging, and "playing" with rocks!

-Our backyard!: As my parents commented when they saw pictures and videos of Elise playing in our backyard: "Now it actually looks like a kid lives there"! Over the summer, we have accumulated a water table, kiddie pool (our 3rd attempt), swing, slide/climber, and countless balls, water toys, garden/sand tools. Elise loves playing in our backyard, and we love that we can enjoy the great summer weather without having to leave the house.

-Kelly and Trevor's Wedding: My good friend Kelly got married on July 21st at Hotel Arts: I was lucky enough to be in the wedding party, and had such a great time getting to know all of Kelly's close friends and family. Kelly looked radiant, and it was obvious that both she and Trevor are so happy to have found each other. Dave and I were so excited to have a "night out" together while Elise stayed home with a babysitter, and Dave did a great job tearing up the dance floor!! Congrats Kelly and Trevor!

-Camping: after our successful Canada day trip, we tried another camping weekend over the August long weekend, joined by Kim and Rob Budianto (and their cute puppies!). Another great weekend where most of our time was spent setting up or taking down tents and gear. Elise had a blast playing with rocks and sticks.

-Mr. Montana: 2 years ago, the male contingents of many of our couple friends came up with a challenge to see who could grow the best "Montana-style" Mullet. Given the success and entertainment value of this contest, it has been reimagined into this year's version of "Mr. Montana". Some of the events included: "Keg Rodeo", "Beer Ninja" and "Chicken Mitts"--I will leave it up to Dave to answer your inevitable questions, but at the end of the day, he was thrilled to be named "Mr. Montana 2012". In this case, I think a picture is worth a thousand words...

-Invermere: for our last of 3 weekends in a row in the mountains, we headed to Invermere with long-time friends Chad and Maria (and their baby daughter Jacobie), and the Harmans. The boys had a great day of downhill mountain biking, while the moms and kids enjoyed the pools (and waterslides!) at "Panorama Springs".

We have been absolutely loving our times together as a family, as well as appreciating sharing adventures with all of our great friends. We are so blessed and are having so much fun!! Yahoo for a great summer!!