Our Days are Numbered...

At the farm, at least...

It's hard to believe that our summer at the farm has come to an end. It has been a lot of work, but also a lot a LOT of fun and it has FLOWN by. Over the past six weeks, we have enjoyed sooooo many things- SOME of which include...

1. Spending time with friends, family and our four favourite (and only) NIECES...

(It LOOKS like I'm breast-feeding my niece...but I'm not. That would be inappropriate).

(the nieces with their Grandma & Grandpa!)

(Grandpa and Beau)

Lowell and I got the nieces these cutesie little outfits from Thailand...

I was more than thrilled to discover that the pants intended for the eldest niece fit ME. It makes one feel good about oneself when pants meant for a FOUR YEAR OLD fit (granted, not exactly in the same way)... especially since acquiring the "Australian 15" (and no, that is not so much a cool surfing term as it is a grotesque weight-gain term).

The girls REALLY love their uncle Lowell...

Wow, apparently 'number 1' could've been a blog post by itself. Ah well, on to 'number 2' (tee hee, I said number 2)...
2. Having sleepovers at the farm.

In my opinion, one is never too old for sleepovers. Especially with super cool friends named Jenna...

3. Bringing dinner to the field in my super fancy delivery car...

4. Having a sleepover AND bringing din din to the field...

5. Welcoming brand-new-kitties-born-under-old-sleds into the world...

6. Spending time with the baby kitties...

7. Shooting badgers with the bachelors (Lance & Trav)...

8. Spending some quality time as 'Julie squared'. Julie Anne and I enjoyed various activities together including QUILTING WITH GRANDMA T!

(My little wintery creation is the top one, and the lovely springy one belongs to JAJ).

9. Farming (well, taking pictures of Lowell and his parents farming)...

10. Babysitting the local nieces....

( Sometimes I fall asleep at night dreaming about running my hair through little girls' hair (in a non-creepy way). I LOVE LITTLE GIRLS' HAIR. I braided Carmen's hair while she watched Dora. Side note here. If you are going to show a child a You Tube version of a kid show, CHECK IT FIRST. The first one we played for Carmen had the f- word dubbed in every few words. Example: Dora (the Explorer) eagerly said "I LOVE playing "f*** the puppy! Do YOU want to play f*** the puppy?")

(Trust me you, as much as Lowell loves his nieces... it was a fight to get the beaters out of Lowell's hand and into the girls').

11. Sisters and Mom T night! Pedicures, chocolate fondue, and a movie starring Zac Efron. Can you get any more girly than that?!

As of tomorrow, my farm wife days will be over! *sigh*... I'm really gonna miss it!

Cryptonite

The August long weekend was fantastically fabulous and fun-filled.... but anything but relaxing.

Saturday was a delightful day filled with Marc & Tara's wedding festivities. Carlynne and I joined the gals early as Tara asked us to do their make-up. I remain convinced that I was only asked so I wouldn't feel left out (as Carlynne & Shareen are definitely the make-up gurus of the family), but I sure took my job seriously! The night before the wedding, Carlynne showed me various products (oh boy there's a LOT out there...) and taught me how to apply them. I applied them to half my face, then considered myself ready to take on a bridal party (even though I had NEVER applied make-up of any kind to anyone else's face before)! Shaking hands aside, all went well.

As long as Carlynne had the bride covered, I was good. She did a fabulous job, and Tara looked beautiful!

Marc & Tara have a lot of humorous friends and family- the wedding and reception were filled with tears of laughter (and there were also some emotional tears thrown in for good measure).

Marc & Tara's wedding day was also Carlynne and Dan's 'One Year Anniversary Eve', so here's the other couple of the weekend.

Suave as always...

On Sunday morning my parents CRANKED the tunes before 6am so we'd all (including Dan's parents whom we affectionately refer to as "Uncle" Sid and "Auntie" Marge) get out of bed and out the door to begin our WATERTON adventure.

We arrived in time to grab some caffeine-to-go and hop aboard the early ferry.

I believe that Crypt Lake is the only hike in Waterton that requires ferry transportation to the base of the track.

Aaaaannnnnnd we hiked.

It. Was. HOT.

We stopped at each stream to fill our hats with fresh freezing stream water as demonstrated here by Auntie Marge...

The hike included narrow cliff walks, and a cave that is apparently getting a little smaller with each passing year. How very reassuring...

I pointed down and shot...

No Lowell. That is NOT funny...

Our efforts were rewarded once we reached the top. Crypt Lake ladies and gentelmen...

The water was butt freezing cold, but apparently still inviting as Lowell and Dad dove in for a refreshing dip in their scivvies.

Uncle Sid and Dan made use of their temporary fishing permits...

Meanwhile the rest of us scarfed down our ridiculously large lunches and were then lulled into a food and exercise-induced coma.

Before descending the mount, we walked around the lake. It was neither as easy nor as pleasant as it looked, but it was still an experience.

Dad spent some time skipping stones and waving to his American siblings. (The south end of Crypt Lake is in the States).

I joined Carlynne on a rock, and while she smiled briefly for a photo, she evidently wasn't too happy about me stealing part of her rock...

After a long trek down the mount, we were soooo happy to take off our shoes and soak/rub our throbbing feet.

Uncle Sid even took a very athletic leap into the chilled water...

On the ferry ride back, we spotted a bear! It was to be the first of THREE (well, two for sure but POTENTIALLY three) that we saw before heading home...

(It's small and it's far away... BUT IT'S THERE!)

After a much needed stretching session, we went for ICE CREAM! (I don't think any Waterton hiker leaves the Park without first stopping for ice cream. That would be a crime).

Before leaving town, hitting the hot tub, then sleeping like LOGS, we closed off our Waterton journey with a group shot in front of the falls.

So there you have it. Wonderful? You bet! Relaxing? NOT AT ALL!!!