I said goodbye to my little ones on the 23rd. That was hard times. They didn't quite get it. I actually got choked up in front of them at a certain point and they were looking at me, confused and unsure what they should do. It's the uncertainty of what will happen, of what will become of some of them - that was what really got me. It's tradition at my school for all the teachers to line up to see the buses off on the last day. I watched them all zip past one last time as we waved goodbye... I sucked it up as much as possible to not look like a complete idiot! At least my dear partner in crime was crying as well, so I wasn't alone.
Afterwards, we had an ice cream party in the staff room, where I spilled my drink all over the back of my pants. So typically clumsy, which was particularly funny after joking with the janitor that he'd better not spill his ice cream on me! The party committee gave out presents to the teachers who wouldn't be back next year, and I realized just how many of us will be going our separate ways. It's not to say that we won't run into each other again the future, but still, the chances of our group reconvening are slim. Such is the nature of this profession, though. I should at least be thankful for the friends I've made and the times we've shared.
The very next day, at the crisp hour of 4:30 am, we awoke to prepare for our trip to BC for my dear cousin's wedding. I was beyond tired, but also very excited for the road ahead. After a pretty smooth 4.5 hour plane ride, we touched down in Wild Rose Country. The beauty of the mountains for afar, juxtaposed against the city of Calgary... truly breathtaking. (I have been far too lazy to edit any of these photos very much yet).
We were greeted by uncles Jeff and Randy - gotta love them! The original plan was to take two vehicles, but due to an unforeseen doggy emergency that morning, we were one traveler short, and thus one car short... So we had the pleasure of cramming six people and mounds luggage into a Tahoe, which appears rather large but fills ups very quickly, let me asure you. We were four people in the backseat for 400+ km. Not the wisest or most comfortable move, but hey, whatcha gonna do? We made due, and it was still fun, albeit we were slightly grumpy.
We drove to Banff for some sight-seeing, but sort of ran out of time, so decided to return on our way back a few days later. The scenery is difficult to comprehend if you haven't seen it first-hand, but here are some photos to try to do it justice.
We also went to Lake Louise. Amazingly beautiful!
As for the wedding itself, I am so impressed by what Jessica and Andrew planned. It was perfect in every way - the setting, the music, the ceremony, the vows, the games, the people, the food... I am so proud of Jess's planning abilities. She crafted a lot of the things herself (center pieces, card box, and so forth) and also bought from Etsy (how cool). They danced to Weezer and concluded their ceremony with Arcade Fire - my kind of wedding! We were also beyond happy to finally meet Andrew, the groom. He is the nicest guy ever and I know that my cousin will be very content and well taken care of. Here are just a few highlights from the big day.
There are many more stories to tell and photos to post, but the day is already getting away from me and there are other items on the famous to-do list. Patrick and I started refinishing a table and that's a huge (and gratifying) project. I also need to work-out very soon. Some cardio is in store. I should be back more frequently, however, now that I have all the time in the world... Cheers!
1 comment:
Enjoy your summer Ash!! I hope that you have a great group of kids next September. And you look smashing with your new hairdo! :) Congrats to your cousin.
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