So far, so good!

I just have a few minutes on a computer before I go out for a movie or coffee with h8s2cln. Thought I'd drop by to give a short trip report - it's been great so far! It started off a little rough - everyone was fighting the morning we left, and the pessimistic side of my brain thought "oh great! We'll be snarking at each other all the way to Alberta!" And then Maddie threw up on the carpet when I was trying to pack. Yeah, a great morning all in all! But once we got on the road, everyone relaxed, and before long we were having lots of fun. Here are a few brief highlights...

1. Stopping in Souris, wandering across a long suspension bridge - I think it's either the longest in Manitoba or in Canada. After that, we picniced in the park and the kids played in the playground.

2. When we got to Weyburn, we found out there were fireworks that night across from the hotel. We scouted out a great spot and watched the show.

3. My presentation at the Wheat Fest ecumenical service went really well. I quite enjoy public speaking. It was just a short presentation, and too close to the end of a long service (the crowd was getting a bit restless), but it was fun none-the-less.

4. Another picnic in a road-side park somewhere in Saskatchewan. Maddie peed in the bush and then spent most of the time dancing around in the grass with a naked butt. Oh the joy of being three.

5. We spent a night at our friends Julie and Bruce's near Brooks, Alberta. Julie is my oldest friend - well, not the OLDEST, but she's been my friend since I was about a year old - longer than anyone. We spent a good part of Monday hanging out with them at Dinosaur Park, wandering around the canyon which is like a smaller version of the grand canyon. Hiking, checking out the archaeology exhibits (dinosaur bones), ice cream, playground - what a great day! Their three boys are very close to the ages of our three girls. Maddie developed a huge crush on 9 year old Kyle. Last night, when I tucked her in bed she said "I liked the older boy. I think I have a crush on him." And then she giggled. :-)

6. I think there are only one or two people who'd stay up late with me and get all obsessive about sewing costumes for the kids. Thanks h8s2cln - it was a hoot! Our kids and their cousins were going to a day camp/vbs Tuesday morning, and the theme was 50s, so guess who decided to sew 4 circle skirts! And because sewing ONLY skirts would not be nearly enough for our obsessive costume-making brains, we sewed appliques to t-shirts (5, since B got one too), and made matching bandanas. Look for pictures on a blog near you. Tomorrow they're clowns, but thankfully h8s2cln already has enough of those costumes. If I'm up until 1:00 tonight, I DON'T want it to be because I'm sewing!

7. Since all 5 kids went to vbs, and h8s2cln and bbb were at work, Marcel and I had a morning alone to finally celebrate our anniversary. Breakfast at Ricky's and then a few hours alone in the house. One word - JACUZZI! And no, you DON'T need any more details than THAT! Let's just say, 12 years and we've STILL GOT IT, BABY!

8. Oh, and one other thing I forgot to mention - the girls were great in the car! We weren't sure how it would go, since this was the first road trip with the car, and hence less room than the van. But they really impressed us with their patience. Don't ask me why, but their favourite game was playing ping-pong with Maddie's head. The strangest thing is it was MADDIE's favourite too!

9. Oh, and miles and miles of prairies. A particularly beautiful view given the amount of moisture that's fallen this year, and the fact that many crops are ready for harvest. Breathtaking. Especially the sunflowers stretching toward the sun.

More to come - the mountains tomorrow, camping with Mom and her hubby. See ya!