Anniversary trip

Better late then never - It's the anniversary post!!!

Tuesday, August 7th, JC and I got to celebrate our First Anniversary!!!   We had planned and saved for several months and budgeted enough to go to Jasper National Park for two days and celebrate together.  We had a slight hiccup in our plans, since we both ended up with really bad colds the weekend before (complete with nasty ear infection and pink eye for me – Yay!).  We were feeling much better by Tuesday, thanks to Tylenol Sinus, Buckley’s Cold and Sinus, and my lovely bottle of antibiotics pills and eye drops, but we still felt a little under the weather.  Nevertheless, we decided no mere cold would hold us back, so armed with endless supplies of Kleenex and cold meds, we got up early Tuesday morning and packed our stuff into the car and headed off for an adventure.  We were also armed with Timmies coffees, which I think helped a lot too.  The caffeine helped counteract the slight sleepiness the cold pills were giving me…   : )  

But before I continue, I should back up… that morning right after our alarms went off at 6:00, we exchanged anniversary gifts.  JC went all out for me. 

Hmm, slight back-up again… first… The night before he gave me a thumb drive that was filled with music for me to listen to at work, as well as nine short 2-3 minute videos of him on a number of subjects; everything from memories to plans of the future.  It was so sweet!  Yes, he made me cry… in a good way.  He also stuck a couple short videos of my nephew laughing like crazy while being pushed around in his wagon, which are always awesome.  

Ok, back to morning… I opened two small jewellery boxes.  In the first one I found a beautiful silver and agate necklace that JC’s Grandpa gave his Grandma, back when they were dating.  Apparently, his Grandma had given the necklace to JC’s Mom, Ruth, with instructions that it be given to JC to give to his bride someday.  Very sweet and very cool gift!  I love heirlooms!  The other jewellery box contained a beautiful pair of black agate earrings to match the necklace.  Totally awesome gifts!  My hubby is so sweet!  

Back to the trip.  The forecast had been for rain and cloudy skies all day for Rocky and Jasper, but with the slight exception of some cloud about an hour west of Rocky that lasted all of 15 minutes, it was clear skies for the whole drive.  The scenery was gorgeous, as always.  I absolutely LOVE driving through the National Parks.   The majesty and beauty of the Rocky Mountains are amazing to me.  

We got to Jasper around noon and enjoyed a nice picnic lunch at a cute day-use area at Pyramid Lake.  It was so quiet and serene… It started to cloud up then and we got into the car just in time to avoid a rain shower.   We decided to check out Maligne Canyon, Medicine Lake, and Maligne Lake, however due to a mudslide from all the rain they had recently, the road was blocked off just past the Canyon.  Oh well, the lakes will wait til next time.  The canyon was awesome though, as usual.  I love the mist from the falls and the sound of the crashing water.  It’s my favorite stop in Jasper.  

We went to check into our hotel then, only to find that they had booked us into a Standard Room with a queen size bed, instead of the King size we booked online.  Well, the manager looked around on the computer and said that all their King rooms were booked, however if we wanted, he would give us a full suite with a queen size bed for our troubles.  Yeah, we totally said Yes to that!   So, we got a really nice, spacious, one bedroom suite, complete with living room and kitchen/dining, for the price of our original standard room…. Twice the room for half the price.  I love it!  

We had searched online for a good restaurant to go to for dinner that night and had settled on The Pines, a nice restaurant out at Pyramid Lake.  The reviews online were all good and the menu sounded yummy.  Well, the reviews were bang-on.  The restaurant was nice and quiet, and we got a table right beside the windows so we could look out on the lake and enjoy the scenery.  The food was delicious, from our roasted garlic, warm Camembert cheese and crusty bread appetizer, to our two entrees of grilled halibut, risotto and green beans, and stuffed chicken breast, scalloped potatoes and grilled veggies, to our lovely dessert of chocolate cream cheese mousse between layers of rich chocolate cake, with whipped cream and berries.  It was all Y-U-M-M-Y!  Our server even gave us our dessert on the house, since it was our anniversary.  It was such a nice, romantic dinner and we both loved it.  

The next day we enjoyed the breakfast buffet and strolled through all the shops in the town site and did some shopping.  By noon, JC was feeling a bit sick again, so we decided to slowly wind our way home.  We stopped a couple times to take some photos of the mountains and enjoy the views.  Once out of the Park, we stopped at a cute little campground and had another picnic lunch, before heading home.  Nice little place by a creek… we plan on taking our tent there next summer and camping for a weekend.  We got home at supper time and spent the evening relaxing on the couch, eating chicken fingers and curly fries, and watching Cars 2.  Perfect way to end the day!  : )  

Well, that was our first anniversary.  I loved spending the special time with my awesome hubby.  We made some great memories and had a wonderful time together.  We are both so glad we took that step a year ago and said “I do” and we’re anxious to see what the next year holds for us.  I know one thing for sure: God is good and the future looks glorious!