The Stampede and Stinky Feet

I am so sorry it's taken me a while to get this latest blog finished for you! I thought I'd get some time in between camp but I ended up working in the Kitchen and before I knew it the next camp was underway!

So....let's see...where were we?

Oh, the Calgary Stampede!



We took off early that morning to try to get to the Stampede around 9am, hoping to miss the crowds and the heat :) Sadly we forgot to take into account how completely exhausted we both were! only 30 minutes into the 3 hour drive Alex was begging me to take over because he needed a nap. I was real unimpressed as at the time, I was busy getting a nap in.

One of the rare moments on the drive where we were both awake!

So we switched pretty regularly on the way up to Calgary, trying to catch up on as much sleep as possible. Alex also mentioned that he wanted to stop in at MEC to exchange some gear. If you live in Canada, you already know how dangerous this store is for the outdoorsy types but for all you back home a trip to MEC can never be less than 1.5 hours and you NEVER walk out without buying more than you intended. So while the girls hung out in the cubby house (smart people aren't they? Entertaining your kids so you can shop for longer, Dangerous I tell you, DANGEROUS!) we shopped up a storm and left around 11:30am.

We arrived at the Stampede and headed straight for the kids entertainment area where we knew that Angelina Ballerina was going to me performing in 15 minutes. We waited patiently for the show to start....After 20 minutes on comes Angelina Ballerina for literally 5 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!! The girls were still excited but all Alex and I could think was glad we didn't pay any money for that!



We then trooped outside to go see the Rodeo, which we figured out was on the other side of the Stampede. We very quickly figured out that their was no way that the girls were going to be able to walk there so we could make it in time to see the show. So we decided to go see the Xtreme Watershow which was right next to us. It was on in 30 minutes so before we went in we decided to do a few show rides....

The girls and Alex had a blast on the rides. After finishing off the last of our coupons we went back around the corner to the Watershow only to discover that the line went all the way around the block.

Sigh.

There was no way the girls would be patient enough to wait for that so we headed back in the kids centre to see Angelina Ballerina perform. Again.

Thoughts on the Stampede....

1. Never go with kids
2. Take a loan out so you can pay for everything - we did next to nothing the whole day and still spent a few hundred.
3. Never go with kids
4. Buy your cowboy hat before you go, the ones on sale there are EXPENSIVE!
5. Never go with kids

Overall, we are glad we went. It was an awesome atmosphere and fun to look around, especially the Art exhibition (the silver lining of the whole experience) but I doubt we would ever go again, especially with kids. :)



After the Stampede we chuffed off to an institution of Calgary (not a real one, although after dragging around 3 hot grumpy kids for the day we were almost certifiable) an old fashioned Drive in named "Peters". We had been told by many people that if we are in Calgary we absolutely MUST go here for supper (Canadian Tea). At Peters you walk up to the window and order and the seating is all outside in the car park. They do simple cheese burgers, family fries (the box was HUGE! Everyone said we couldn't finish it, to which we of course said "CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!"), which we couldn't finish. :(

But the best part was that they have milkshakes, they have about 30 flavors and you can choose up to 3 in any one milkshake, making up to almost 5000 flavor combinations! I was stuck as to what to get...caramel with marshmallow and peanut butter? Coconut with strawberry and licorice??? Argh what to do???? I ended up going with a pina colada, which was so delicious!

Alex sadly did not share my dilemma. He choose Vanilla. Nothing else, just Vanilla. 5000 choices and he chooses the one flavor he can make at home. Vanilla.

But he was so happy, so who am I to judge, right?

After enjoying a great Supper and a cool breeze, we were all feeling a bit better and whole lot less grumpy.

I was bit sneaky and taught Miss L how to share chips, which is really just a sneaky way to steal kisses. She loved it though :)

On the way home I noticed an unusual smell and asked Alex to pull over as I suspected Miss E had filled her nappy. But we were surprised to find nothing there. Hmmm...what could that smell be?

I got in the drivers side this time to give Alex and break. He mentioned he could smell something now too.

I began giggling my head off.
Hannah began giggling her head off.
Laura kept snoring and Miss E cracked a smile.

That smell?

Hannah had taken her boots off and had put them up on the top of the passenger front seat. That smell was radiating off her feet like in cartoons. You could practically see the green obnoxious odor coming off them.

Alex sadly, did not giggle.

Have a great week!

Tarzan ain't got nothin' on Alex :)

SHINE - Girls Crow 2

Wow, what a week! I have to admit that my expectations about doing an outdoor tenting camp were not very high. I imagined that I would hate not being able to shower every day and that living back to basics wouldn’t suit me, but I LOVED IT! I liked living in the fresh air, waking early with the sun and spending the day enjoying the 27-37 degree weather J 

Just wow, hey?

Canada Day ;) Getting into the spirit

Chore time. Washing up and doing other jobs is a big part of the program out here

The Crow 2 Site was just amazing, the most fantastic views of the mountains, field of wild flowers and a very beautiful (as well as freezing) creek just a few minutes walk away.

 

But that wasn’t just the weather, the stunning views or the fresh air that really made my week. It was the awesome ladies I met and became friends with and the gorgeous 16 girls that I came to love. To be honest, this was the first week I have truly felt as home since coming to Canada.

Cooking supper (Canadian Supper) 

God was everywhere in this camp! The study leader Rhonda was simply amazing in her deliver of her sessions. The kids actually sat still for 40 minutes listening to her! And I absolutely loved working the team of counsellors and of course, Sandy.

Wiener roast

The program was really relaxed. The girls loved doing crafts and spending the afternoon at the seriously cold creek. They had mud fights, water fights, messy food activities and they especially loved the evening running around games. We had a fantastic time. I didn’t want it to end.

But my favourite time of all was the worship time. No music, just us. And the girls never wanted to stop, they could have sung all day if we let them. It was so beautiful listening to their sweet voices praising God. 

Sing and campfire time

I think Alex really enjoyed being site manager with Rea too. He had time to spend with the girls after having such a busy couple of months with COLTS and also time to take more photos, take walks. The girls loved spending the week with all the “big” girls and having the chance to catch butterflies and play in the paddling pool Alex built for them out of logs and a tarp J

This week we are back at the main Crow Site. Alex will be helping coordinate the out trip and helping with other parts of the program where needed. I’ll be helping as Head Counsellor with a lady named Brenda. I’ll be making sure the female counsellors are going well and giving them a break if they need it. There will be childcare this week which the girls (and I’ll admit also me) are really keen for.

   

Would love your prayers over this week if you think of us J

Oh we are also planning on taking a day to head off to the Calgary Stampede, Yeehaa!