Crossing things off the Summer Bucket List

With summertime almost wrapping up (tear) and school about to begin, it was no surprise that the highways were packed with people heading out for their last chance to enjoy the mountains. We were no exception. Despite the crowds and traffic we still took the opportunity to enjoy our little slice of the wilderness. Weather wise it couldn't have been more perfect, and hey, the scenery aint that bad either.

We headed out west to Lake Minnewanka in Banff National Park. All of the picnic tables were long-since occupied so we made do with Mother Nature's assortment of fallen logs. You know what? I kind of liked it even better!

There were plenty of trails and paths to explore. Ben had so much fun romping around, picking up sticks, pointing out trees and spending time with his Grandma.

We stopped in Canmore on our way back home to eat at one of our favourite restaurants in the area, Crazy Weed. Would highly recommend the calamari. Never disappoints!

We were all pretty exhausted on the way home but were so grateful to have crossed another item off our summer bucket list.

Summer Days

Ben and I made a trip to my parents' house for a couple weeks in August. It was a great opportunity for our boy to get spoiled, me to get a bit of a break while baby #2 continues to bake and Danny to live the 'bachelor' life back at home.

Here are a few snapshots from our adventures.

Running along the dock and looking at muskrats swimming in the water.

Cooking on an open fire and enjoying some s'mores.

Swinging with his cousins and playing in the open fields.

A Mother-Daughter date at a local restaurant downtown.

Plenty of adventures to be had in the backyard complete with fresh raspberries right from the garden.

A day trip to Great Grandma's house and a chance to reminisce about my own childhood.

Not surprisingly, there aren't any photos of me as I'm pretty much behind the lens the whole time. But that's okay too. Let's be honest - this trip was mostly for Ben and his Grandparents anyway, haha! We had such an enjoyable time and although Danny missed us quite a bit we all agreed that it was a great way to spend some of our summer days.  Perhaps we'll make it a yearly trip!

Prairie Girl at Heart

I grew up on the prairies of Alberta and Saskatchewan with many fond memories of big skies and open fields. As I grew older though, my heart lusted after the beautiful Rocky Mountain ranges and I knew that's where I was headed. Years later and I'm still mesmerized by the majestic beauty of those peaks.

That being said, when I saw this beautiful canola field on a recent road trip I just knew we would have to stop. Fortunately my dad was on hand to capture a few shots.

Nothing quite like the vibrant colours of a canola field in the peak of summer! Definitely a little prairie girl still in me.