Canada, Day Five- Last Day

Today was the most beautiful day of all! (And our last day.) The sun was out and shining all day and the temperature was in the mid-sixties. In the morning we hiked the Hoodoo trail for a couple of hours. (See picture below of the Hoodoos- not sure why they are called that!) The trail was near our hotel and was very pretty, with part of the trail going alongside the Bow River. After hiking, we headed downtown and had a picnic in the park. The sun was shining on us and it felt wonderful! (Except now I have a sunburn.) Downtown Banff was more crowded than usual- probably because of the weekend and nice weather.

After lunch we went bike riding for a couple of hours along the legacy trail. It was such a gorgeous day for a bike ride! And Jaren was able to spot some birds that he wanted to see.

We ate a slightly early dinner. Then we stopped at a sweet shop to get ourselves a little treat and then headed back to our hotel. Jaren has an exam this upcoming Monday so he needed to study. I didn't want to just sit around though so I decided to hike Tunnel Mountain again by myself (since it was my most favorite hike.)

I missed Jaren while hiking but in a way it was enjoyable to hike alone. There was a lot of quiet time to think and reflect. And the view did not disappoint! It was a spectacular view and a great way for me to end this vacation.

***Warning: This next part is SAPPY and sentimental...***

I will be sad to leave Canada tomorrow, but Jaren and I sure had a great time together! It was nice to get away for a little while from the stresses we face day to day. I loved being with Jaren all week! Being together was the best part of this whole trip. He made me laugh so hard my stomach hurt (many times) and we had some wonderful conversations. My love for him definitely expanded this trip! He's quite a guy! I'm so glad he brought me up here!

***Sappiness is over! (Mostly...)***

Banff and the surrounding areas sure are amazing! I love this beautiful world we live in. Jaren and I already want to come back again someday! I guess my first time out of the country (it counts!!) was a success!!

I'm holding the Hoodoos!

The Hoodoos

Downtown Banff

My treat- a white chocolate cloud from the Banff Sweet Shoppe.

The Sweet Shoppe

My view from the top of Tunnel Mountain.

Canada, Day Four

Today was BY FAR my most favorite day!  (And Jaren's too!) I absolutely loved every minute! I've always wanted to go horseback riding- I wanted to go last Summer but we were unable to. So... I asked Jaren if he thought horseback riding would be something we could do on this trip. He thought that sounded fun. This morning I called and made a reservation to go. I wasn't sure what to expect... and I ended up absolutely loving the whole experience! The horses were very gentle. Jaren's horse was named Concho and my horse was Rayleigh. We rode around some very beautiful scenic areas of Banff. We passed a waterfall, crossed a river, and went through some beautiful trails. And of course there were the awesome mountains in the background. I will definitely be doing this again- I don't know when or where- but I will do this again.

Afterward we went back to our hotel and made lunch. Then we headed back out to Canoe! This was something Jaren really wanted to do, and we had a great time! We started at the Bow River. As we paddled a little upstream we could either turn right and go to the Vermillion Lake, or turn left and continue on the river. We were advised to be careful if we headed toward the lake, as some animals can get very protective of their young and aggressive this time of year- and an aggressive elk had been spotted earlier. We decided to go right, towards the lake. As we were paddling we saw several Canadian geese families. There were at least three. They all had 2 parents and at least 3 fluffy little chicks (or goslings- whatever their called). They were so cute and fun to watch. As we came closer to the lake, we saw several different canoes coming back toward us. They were all talking loudly to one another and sounded excited. One of the canoes came over to us and the people told us to turn around! Remember how we were told there was an angry, protective mother elk who had a calf? The elk actually charged one of the canoes and the boat tipped over! We asked if everyone was ok, and they were. So we turned our boat around and decided to go left and continue up the river. Canoeing was so relaxing. It was fun to view the beautiful scenery from a canoe. And Jaren and I made a pretty good paddling team!

After canoeing we walked around a little trail by the river and lake. We ended up at Vermillion Lake and Jaren did some bird watching. He spotted some pretty cool birds. I enjoy this hobby of his because he will find the birds, then let me look, and then he'll tell me about them! After bird watching we went back to our hotel for a little bit, then went to dinner.

When dinner was done, we went to see Maleficent! I had been waiting to see this movie for a long time- and I loved it! It was so fun to see a fairy-tale movie in a place like Banff.

Canada, Day Three

Well, today turned out to be another surprise day! We planned on seeing the Columbian Ice Fields (in Jasper national park). We were going to take a tour on a bus out to the ginormous glacier. We drove 2 hours to get there, went to buy our ticket, and the lady at the register told us it would be $54 a person! Um... no thank you. We decided it was not worth the price. So instead we took some picture of the glaciers, and talked to a nice Australian couple. The glaciers were pretty cool to see, but we were both glad we didn't pay the hefty price to drive out to them.

So instead we found a hike that was a 45 minute drive back out toward Banff. It was a hike to Glacier Lake. The hike was a total of 9km to get there, and then another 9km to get back. So all together it would be 18km (about 11 miles). We decided to just go for it! The hike was a true beauty, I felt like I was in an enchanted forest the whole time! The lake was gorgeous! It was a blue/turquoise color and surrounded by mountains. We started the hike around 1 and we were done and back around 6. We had a great time on the hike, but we were tired afterward. Talk about a workout! I have always wanted to do a long hike, though. So I was very happy! When we got back to Banff we had a quick dinner and then headed back to our hotel.

Columbian Ice Fields- huge glacier behind us.

Doesn't this forest look enchanted?

Beautiful Glacier Lake

Another photo from the hike.

Canada, Day Two

I absolutely loved today! This morning we slept in and took it easy. We were in no rush to get going. Around 11:00 we headed downtown to the Canadian Rockies Museum. We had a good time looking around at the art and history of western Canada.

After the art museum we randomly decided to go hiking (we had planned on the weather being rainy, but at the time the weather was fine). And we had much better luck this time! (No snow!) We decided to hike Tunnel Mountain. (Surprisingly it has no tunnels.) It was a GORGEOUS hike- everything you would hope for in a hike, and the view at the end was well worth it! Banff reminds me of a land from a fairy-tale. There is so much charm and beauty here. While hiking Tunnel Mountain you can even see the Banff Chateau hotel down below, which looks like a castle. It made me feel like I was hiking in Europe or in a scene from a story book.

On our way down the mountain, rain began to sprinkle on us. But it didn't bother me one bit. In fact, I really enjoyed it. Jaren did too. The trail smelled like fresh rain and pine. And the rain made everything look so green and lovely. I am so glad we went on that hike. I absolutely love to hike and it met all my expectations.

We walked back to our hotel after the hike and changed our clothes for dinner. We ate dinner downtown at a fondue place. We have never had a fondue meal together before. Let's just say that meal made our top 5 list for best meal ever! The food was DE-LIC-IOUS! (Maybe it made the top 5 list for most expensive too. Oops. Oh well. We definitely don't eat like this often. So every once in a while, like on a vacation, it's ok!) The meal was 4 courses. It started with soup. Next we had a cheese fondue that we dipped our bread in. Afterward we had chicken and steak that we cooked ourselves on a little hot stone! Our waiter explained to us how to properly cook our food, and it was easy. We had 5 different dipping sauces for our chicken and steak. And last we had fruit to dip for dessert. We both really enjoyed that meal. It was a fun place to go and we made some memories!

After dinner we went to the movie theater. We decided to go see Blended which was... ok. Not great by any means, but ok. The theatre was very small and quaint. It reminded me of the Kaysville theater except... dare I say... cleaner. (I  absolutely love the Kaysville theater, but lets admit it... there's always popcorn and "stuff" on the floor.)

When the movie was over we walked around the shops downtown. Then we headed back to our hotel. I am loving this trip and am so glad we have a few more days to spend here!

At the museum...

We are trying to make the same face as the picture man! Jaren did a pretty good job!

This really looks like he's in a tunnel, eh?

 

Hiking Tunnel Mountain...

You can see the Banff Chateau (castle-like hotel) while hiking.

Doesn't this look like a scene from Once Upon A Time or something?

View from the top!

Canada, Day One

This morning started out chilly, but the sun came out and the day was very warm by the afternoon. Today we went to Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. We also attempted to hike Boom Lake, but that didn't happen due to snow.

Lake Louise was beautiful, but still frozen. (Some locals had mentioned to us that the winter this past year had been a very bad one and had continued to snow through April and some of May.) Jaren was a little bummed- he wanted me to see Lake Louise in all its glory. But I thought it was still beautiful. There was a trail around the lake that we walked around. We took pictures and admired the scenery. We wanted to hike from there to Moraine Lake but the trail was closed due to snow. We had lunch at the Chateau (a castle-looking hotel right by Lake Louise). Afterward we headed to Moraine Lake by car.  I thought Moraine Lake was more beautiful than Lake Louise. Moraine Lake was also mostly frozen, but not as much as Lake Louise. There was a small mountain of rocks across from the lake that we climbed. We found a place to sit and Jaren did some bird-watching (his new hobby). The sun's rays were beating down on us while we were there and it felt so nice! Just sitting there, being in nature and talking to Jaren was so relaxing!

After that we were determined to go hiking. We both LOVE to hike so we thought that maybe the trails on Boom Lake would be ok. We started to hike and everything was great until about 1/3 of the way. We hit patches of snow. We continued to hike until the snow became deeper and deeper. Finally we decided to turn back.

By that time we were getting hungry for dinner. We drove back to downtown Banff and ate Greek food. We never eat Greek food, so it was fun to try something different. We walked around downtown and then headed back to our hotel.

Even though we didn't get to hike as much as we wanted to, it was still a great day. The weather was wonderful and I loved spending the day with Jaren. He makes me laugh and it's nice to be together when we don't have to worry about the stresses of everyday life.

Lake Louise

Beautiful scenery

Moraine Lake

Near Moraine Lake

Lake Louise (Chateau is in the background)

Watchin the birds

Oh Canada...

Jaren's Summer break is here! We decided to go to Canada (Banff/Lake Louise) for a little getaway. We have always talked about coming here over the years. Jaren came with his parents and grandparents when he was 15 and has always wanted to come back. When we found out we would be moving to Montana, we knew we had to go at some point! And here we are...

The drive was long- a whopping 13 hours! But the scenery was so beautiful which helped pass the time.  We drove past Flathead Lake and Whitefish city- which I thought was amazing. Once we drove into Canada I was even more amazed. Jaren told me it would be beautiful, and he did not exaggerate. I have never seen such mountainous beauty before. The trees are so close together, they just cover the mountains. There are wild flowers everywhere, crystal-clear little lakes, and so much green!

We saw a bear while driving through Canada. It was so close to us! We both said we wanted to see a bear while we were here so we were pretty excited.

Downtown Banff is very quintessential. It reminds me of downtown Park City, with a lot of shops and restaurants. We ate dinner downtown and walked around a little, but then went back to our hotel and went to sleep!

Emily's Graduation Celebration

My sister and I had a blast together in California, to say the least. We went May 6th through May 9th. This post is long. Feel free to read the whole post, skim, or just look at the pictures.

At the end of April, Emily graduated from Weber State. Emily asked me if we could go on a trip together to celebrate. I of course agreed in an instant! We decided on Disneyland becaues A, we both love Disneyland. B, it was very doable for the two of us (convienience, price, location). And C, it would be a lot of fun!

When it came to flying, I would be traveling from Montana to Salt Lake and on to Long Beach. I was somehow able to get us on the same flight from Salt Lake to Long Beach and we were also able to be on the same flight coming home. Talk about convenience!

We stayed at the Best Western's Stovalls Inn. We have always stayed at that hotel. It's really nice, a great price, and very close to the parks. Someday, though, we would love to stay in Disney's California hotel which is right on Disney property. My cousin Crystal and her family have stayed there several times and I have heard so many good things about it. When I have kids we are definitely staying there at least once or twice.

On Tuesday we flew in early and arrived at Disneyland around 11:30. By that time we were already hungry for lunch so we went to the Hungry Bear in Critter Country. We LOVE the fried green tomato sandwich with sweet potato fries. There is nothing better. They have a lot of delicious food there and many kid-friendly options as well if you have children.

The park was pretty crowded. Not overwhelming but definitely more people than I would have thought for the month of May. And SO MANY strollers! Strollers are the worst! Lol. But we didn't hold it against anyone as we know someday we will be the stroller people walking around with our own kids. And Disneyland is, afterall, a kids place.

We rode the teacups, Star Tours (one of my personal favs- I love Star Wars), and Space Mountain. We stopped by Pooh's Corner to grab us a treat (Emily loves the peanut butter sandwich- a MUST try if you're going there). Afterward we decided we would cross over to Disney's California Adventure park to see what it was like over there.

They were having a sneak preview of Maleficent in the Bug's Life theater so we got to to watch 10 or so minutes of the movie. From what we saw, it's going to be good! I can't wait to see it! We rode Soarin' California and saw the musical, Aladdin. It was so good, Disney puts on such a great show! It's totally worth it and any age group would love it!

Afterward we headed back to Disneyland and watched the Soundsational Parade. Yes, I'm 26 and I totally loved it. There were a LOT of young adults around us, though, so I know I'm not the only one! The kids around us were so fun to watch- they danced along to the music and were so excited to see their favorite Disney characters pass by. After the parade we went on Storybook Canals (a little boat ride that has miniature fairytale kingdoms from stories/movies and miniature gardens). Then we road more rides and ate at Rainforest Cafe'. We love that place and the food is delicious. Afterward we went back to the hotel and I CRASHED. I had been up since 4 am and I had no trouble falling asleep.

On Wednesday we headed to Disney's California Adventure and rode Tower of Terror, Soarin' (top row center-yeah!), California Screamin' (once on that roller coaster was all I needed- it's fun but gave me a headache), Cars (we did the single riders line and it went by much faster), and Toy Story. We love the Toy Story ride- it's one of our favs! We saw the Muppet's show and it was hilarious. I love the Muppets.We ate lunch at Pacific Wharf cafe'- delicious! We both had soup in bread bowls. I loved the clam chowder and Emily had the totato basil. The temperature was in the upper sixties (not super warm) so soup was perfect! We used fast pass to our advantage and went on Tower of Terror several times. In the afternoon we headed back to Disneyland. We ate ice cream on main street and rode more rides- Star Tours again, Peter Pan, and Haunted Mansion were a few that I can remember. We shopped around a little at night and had vegetable and chiken skewers in Adventureland for dinner (very good and inexpensive).

Thursday, our last day, was our absolute favorite. We had a magic morning pass so we were able to get into Disneyland an hour before the park opened. This made all the difference! We rode so many rides in an hour or two than we would have been able to all day! At first only Tomorrowland and Fantasyland were open so we went on Space Mountain (front row- so fun) and Buzz Lightyear ride. Then the rest of the park opened so we were on the first train of Thunder Mountain (which has been updated with new effects since the last time I rode it). We were also one of the first to ride the Haunted Mansion and Splash Mountain. After we got off each ride, we noticed the line had gotten HUGE. We were very lucky! We rode Winnie the Pooh for fun and then had lunch at a Mexican place.(Del Torro???) We rode the Jungle Cruise and saw a bunch of workers around the Indiana Jones ride. After we had booked our trip, I realized Indiana Jones was closed and scheduled to open the day AFTER we left. This is one of my most absolute favorite rides ever (Emily's too) so I was pretty bummed. But as we saw all the workers I hoped beyond hope that Indiana Jones would open a day early! I asked one of the workers if this was possible. They all kept saying, "the ride is scheduled to open on Friday." So I tried not to get my hopes up. But one nice worker told me to keep checking back, just in case.

Later in the afternoon we went back over to DCA and saw the preview of Maleficent again and the Muppet show again. We shopped around and found some fun souvenirs. Then we headed back to Disneyland.

We decided to walk through Adventureland. And lo and behold, Indiana Jones had opened!! Early!! I couldn't believe it and I don't think I could have been more excited! We went on it, ate a late dinner on Main Street (Carnation Cafe, I think) and then went on  Indiana Jones 2 more times! It was a great way to end the night!

I think the best part was spending time with Emily. We had such a good time together! I miss seeing her all the time and I'm so glad we're close sisters and friends!

In Hollywood Land at DCA

Mmm... gotta have a Dole Whip!

Parade

Muppets 3D

View from the backside of the castle

George

During the October 2013 General Conference, the talk by Elder Ballard on missionary work was very touching to Jaren and he decided to follow Elder Ballard's council and invite someone to church. He thought and prayed about this for a long time. When we moved up to Montana and Jaren began school, he met George.

After school one day, Jaren told me about George. He was born and raised in Kenya, and moved to the States to attend college in Minnesota. He moved to Montana once he was accepted to PA school. Jaren said to me, "George is ready for the gospel, I know it! I am going to baptize him." He said that to me sometime in the Summer, but there was never a good opportunity to talk to George about the gospel until later on. It wasn't until we drove George home from a class Christmas party that Jaren invited him to church.

George and Jaren were talking about what it was like to live in another country. George asked Jaren why he lived in Brazil for 2 years and Jaren told him about serving a "Mormon" mission. George then said, "You are Mormon?! I have a friend who married a Mormon!" Jaren then invited George to come to church with him, and George accepted. After that, we went back to Utah for 2 1/2 weeks. When we came back to Montana at the beginning in January, Jaren asked George if he would still be interested in coming to church with us. George told Jaren he would still like to attend, and came to church with us that week!

When George came to church with us, we asked him if he'd like to stay for the first hour (sacrament meeting) or attend all 3 hours with us. George told us he wanted to stay all 3 hours, which we thought was awesome. After a few weeks, Jaren asked if George would like to have the missionaries teach him more about the gospel. George accepted, and we often had lessons over at our apartment, which was so fun for me to participate in, since I never served a mission.

Since that first Sunday in January, George has never missed church. He even called Jaren one Sunday (we were coming home from Utah) and GEORGE reminded US that church would be at a different time due to stake conference!

George accepted the invitation to be baptized, and Jaren baptized and confirmed George in March. Witnessing the baptism and confirmation was such a spiritual experience for me. I could feel the love of our Savior so strongly. I knew Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ were so happy for George. I also felt so much love for Jaren.

George still comes to church with us, and we attend the Gospel Principles class with him. It is so amazing to watch someone learn, grow, and develop their own testimony of the gospel. I am so grateful to have the gospel in my life, and for all the hope, knowledge, and happiness it gives me.