Hey, Mrs. Wilson!

Byron and Laura-Mae’s wedding day was Kaylie’s favorite day of our vacation.

She’d been looking forward to wearing her new dress (thanks Shivohn!) and new sweater since she laid eyes on them. She was also a big fan of the mirror.

The FOB (father of the bride) and the bride. Laura-Mae was the calmest bride I have ever seen. She was so laid back on the morning of the wedding that she even took Liliana for a walk while the rest of us got ready for her wedding!

Sue and Laura-Mae. Sue made the entire dinner for the reception (with a lot of help from her mom and a teeny tiny bit of help from me), and we’re still enjoying it as we got to take some leftovers home. Delicious. Like I said before, we’ve really missed Sue food!

Goof balls. I got to stay behind with the bride and her parents so I could capture the last moments of her being a Wilson.

The site of the wedding was absolutely breathtaking. I could not believe how beautiful it was. It was perfect.

Russ and Laura-Mae came in on a carriage. I called it the marriage carriage. I’m witty like that.

For some weird reason, the above photo and the three below were from a series of photos that turned out blue. Apparently I pushed the white balance button in the TOTALLY WRONG direction. Lucky for me, they looked great when I turned them to black and white!

The groom, looking at his beautiful bride walk up the aisle.

Like I said, gorgeous location.

Noah had one line in the whole wedding. He goofed it.

“Who gives this man to be married to this woman?”

BAHAHAHAHA!!!

Oh … um … whoops …

“Okay! Who gives this woman to be married to this man?”

That’s better sweetie. Good job. He’d been a bit nervous about it, but Laura-Mae said that it totally lightened the mood and she was glad for it.

Laura-Mae, I give you this ring …

Byron, I give you this ring …

The kiss!

The dirt soil ceremony. Laura-Mae and Byron each took soil from places that had special meaning to them and put them all together in one glass bowl. It’s to represent their pasts coming together as a foundation for their future. I thought it was a really neat idea. They’re going to lay the soil in the back yard of their new home.

Byron’s sister, Catharine, sang a song written by a friend of hers. It was totally beautiful. Cath used to lead worship at my home church in Terrace (before she moved away) and I missed hearing her sing. It was beautiful.

The parents prayed over their children sending them off into married life.

Mr. and Mrs. Johnston!

Kaylie and Liliana were the first to congratulate the new couple. They are huge fans of Auntie Laura-Mae and Uncle Byron.

Before: Byron’s dad, Brian, had to have oral surgery before he left Terrace and didn’t have time to heal before putting in a false tooth. I told him not to worry about it, and to smile away as he normally would.

After: See? No problem!

Oh my WORD I have a cute baby!

The marriage carriage could not have been more perfect. It took the newlywed couple and me and Scott (the official photographers) on a ride around the gorgeous property so we could capture it’s beauty.

Kaylie recently watched Flicka and now has a horse fetish. She ran behind the carriage until I asked her to stop for fear of her getting hurt or getting lost. She was quite disappointed. When I arrived back at the townhouse after all the photo taking was done, she greeted me with, “How was the horsie ride, mom?”

Ouch. Note to self: no more going on horsie rides without Kaylie.

Scott’s camera.  The coolest camera ever (because it’s EXACTLY like mine!)

She looked so SO beautiful that day.  Okay, well she looks beautiful every day, it was just so much more so that day.

This couple was SO easy to photograph.  They made it fun for us.

I guess I’ll have to frame this one for Kaylie!

Back at the Quarry.  Another beautiful Canmore location.

After we finished up at the Quarry, I got dropped off back at the townhouse for some down time before the reception.  I may or may not have had a nap.

I take no responsibility for this.

Aren’t those two of the CUTEST little girls you ever did see?  Everyone but Kaylie was looking at Scott’s camera.  Whoops!

A family photo.  Tali had straightened my hair for the occasion, and I LOVED it.  I had to put it up because it was SO FREAKIN’ HOT and forgot to put it back down for the photos.  I was quite peeved at myself.

Some lady came by with her parrot.  Apparently she’s friends with the owner of the property we used for the wedding and reception.

Kaylie and Liliana each got to hold the parrot.  They both totally loved it!  Kaylie was a bit scared at first until I convinced her that the bird was not going to hurt her.  She loved it.  Liliana giggled while the bird was climbing on her arm, but I did not get a picture since I was holding her.

The three Wilson children.  And Liliana.  I totally love these three (but Noah is my favorite, sorry girls).  I had so much fun on our six-day weekend hanging out with these kids.

Laura-Mae, thanks for inviting me to photograph your wedding day.  I had an amazing time and you made a VERY beautiful bride!

Vacation Day 3: Wedding Planning 101

The morning of Day 3, we went to look at wedding location, Byron, Laura-Mae, Scott (the other photographer) and I checked out the route of carriage ride, and we all decided to meet for lunch.

We went to already-jam-packed Wendy’s with the 20 (ish) of us.

Our little family and Tali took off back to the townhouse after lunch. One problem though, we did not acquire a key. Whoops.

We hung out outside until Russ arrived and let us in.

When Liliana was taking her afternoon nap, Tali and I went downtown to try find a lens hood that Scott recommended for my camera, posted a blog post, found a birthday present for Kaylie, and got some Benadryl for my constant sneezing/runny nose. Apparently I’m allergic to Canmore.

We got a call when we were downtown to meet back to townhouse ASAP to meet up with others from our party. I took off again with Laura-Mae, Byron, Scott and Kaylie to go to the Quarry to see if we could make it another location for wedding photos.

Laura-Mae, having grown up in Canmore, thought she knew the way to the Quarry. Apparently not. But, when we were going down the wrong road, we spotted a couple early-20-ish guys with towels around their necks. We asked them if they knew where the Quarry was, and they said they were on their way there.

Now normally I’m not so irresponsible. But, it was our idea to pick them up, not the other way around. And? Byron and Scott were in the vehicle behind us, so I wasn’t too worried. The guys pointed us in the right way and we got there a couple minutes later.

This hill with the mountain in the background reminds me of The Sound of Music. It was absolutely GORGEOUS.

Kaylie was totally loving the attention that Auntie Laura-Mae and Uncle Byron were giving her.

Scott gave me a whole bunch of tips that were especially helpful since we both have the same camera.

Didn’t God make a BEAUTIFUL earth?

And since I was talking about how I was sad that I wasn’t in a whole lot of pictures with my kids, Scott took over my camera and made me go in front of it instead of behind it. Thanks Scott!

Me and the bride-to-be.

That evening, we had a birthday dinner for Kaylie (July 26th), Grandma (July 12th), and Noah (July 21st). Kaylie got spoiled, Noah got spoiled, and Grandma even spoiled Liliana and me.

After dinner, Noah, Russ, Sue, and Grandma took the kids to the park while Tali and I took off for a walk trying again to find a lens hood. We finally found the store, but it was closed.

We met up with rest of the party, tried unsuccessfully to find other store boasting of camera equipment, and finally went home. I edited photos while Noah played Scrabble and then we broke into one of Noah’s birthday presents, Planet Earth.

Vacation Day 4: Rehearsing

Went to church Sunday morning and got to hear my father-in-law speak at his former church. It was quite refreshing. Remember how I told you that I’ve been sweating since I left BC? Well it was HOT in that church (or maybe it was just me). Liliana was being fussy anyway, so I took her to the nursery in the back. It was cool and there was a speaker so I could still hear the service. It was perfect.

After church we came back to the condo and put Little Miss Grumpy down for a 2½ hour nap during which Tali and I took off and finally found those photography stores. The first one did not have the proper size of lens hood (one too big and one too small), and the second did not even know what a lens hood was. They only sold point-and-shoot digital cameras. I was a little disappointed.

One of Russ’ friends offered to have our children while we went to the rehearsal dinner, and we appreciated it immensely. Normally I’m quite apprehensive about leaving my children, but she’s a good friend of Russ and Sue and she’d been a former employee of Russ’ that he trusted so I was alright leaving Kaylie and Liliana with her. She is one of the sweetest ladies I’ve ever met.

We went for the rehearsal dinner at Giorgio’s Trattoria in Banff.

Noah and Tali were kind enough to post for photos while I tried to figure out how to use the horrid lighting in the restaurant. I like NATURAL lighting, and there was none to be found. I totally love the above photo though. It looks like they’re in a smoky bar drinking tequila, when in actuality, they’re with their extended family drinking water.

I think that after all the photos I made them pose for, they were wishing they were in the smoke-filled bar.

Meet Scott. The guy I go to for every and all technical questions I have.

The groom, my brother-in-law-to-be.

Are you SERIOUSLY taking another picture of me?

Russ and Jessica. Russ thinks it’s hilarious to drive his children’s friends absolutely insane. Jessica, Laura-Mae’s friend, was no exception.

Byron and Laura-Mae. Probably the most photogenic couple I’ve ever met, in my humble opinion. (Besides me and Noah of course! hee hee)

One half of the table.

My dinner. I ordered Seared Salmon; the only problem was that it was not cooked all the way through. Not my style. Apparently that’s how they do it in swanky restaurants. Since I am not the fancy restaurant kind of person (evident by my lack of knowledge of where to put a napkin) I did not know this fact. I asked very politely for them to take it back and cook it. When I got it back, it was still jello-ish inside. So, I didn’t eat it, but got it packed up so I could cook it at home. I did not want to ask them to cook it AGAIN for fear of a spit burger (or spit fish I guess) and I am NOT a sushi kind of person, unless it is California rolls, which really isn’t real sushi anyway.

Noah’s grandma and her yummy looking dessert.

We had such a great time at dinner. Friends of ours from Terrace were there because their son is the one that married Noah’s sister. It was so great to spend time with them again, as we missed them fiercely.

Noah, Tali, and I skipped out early on dinner because we had to pick up the kids by 8:00. They’d had a great time and were sad to leave. On the drive home, Scott called and said that he’d found a lens hood for me in Banff for under $20. I was stoked!

I’m sorry that I’ll have to leave the wedding day until tomorrow. I am exhausted (evident by the choppy post) even though Noah let me have a long nap this afternoon.

Before I take off though, I’ll fill you in on the job situation. I got on with a staffing company. They found a job for me a couple weeks ago, and it fell through a couple days before I was to start. They found another one for me that I was supposed to start this morning, but there was a message on the machine when we got home last night that said that it had fallen through as well. I had just gotten all the details earlier yesterday afternoon, but apparently it was not meant to be.

Don’t worry about us though. God is going to take care of us. He knows what we need and He will provide for us. Maybe He’s got a job already lined up that I will absolutely love. We’re doing our best, and giving God the rest.

Today was my favorite day of our little vacation so far, which I guess isn’t hard to beat since we spent the first day traveling. We got to hang out with my brother, sister-in-law, and nieces all day long.

I totally love this whole family (but sadly did not get very many pictures *pout* so you’ll have to check out Teresa’s blog when she gets back). My brother, Nick, and I used to fight constantly when we were growing up. But, now that we’re both married and both have little girls, we get along famously. My sister-in-law, Teresa, a fellow blogger, is one of the coolest girls I’ve ever met. For one, she’s turned my annoying little brother into an amazing man, and two, she’s just enjoyable to be around.

Eva (2 ½) is totally fun for me, and she repeats everything I say. I love it. But then, if it was my kid doing it, it would probably drive me insane. She’s so adorable and I just love being around her. Kaitlyn (3 months) is a cuddle bug (and I didn’t even get a picture of her *sob*). Since my baby is anything but a cuddle bug, I thoroughly enjoyed snuggling with her, especially when she started cooing. I love babies, but no, I do not want another one. That’s what other people’s babies are for.

We were supposed to join the Braams for breakfast, but we slept in a little late (8:30 am, thanks Liliana!) so we went to their hotel at about 9:30 am, after we’d checked out, and Nick made us pancakes. They were SO much better than cereal!

After that we checked out downtown Canmore for a little bit and then headed over to Banff to take a dip in the Hot Springs. Unfortunately, the swim did not last long; about a minute to be exact. Thunder started, and apparently the pool needs to be evacuated for 15 minutes after thunder. But, just before the 15 minutes were up, the thunder started again.

Too bad. Luckily, though, only four of the eight of us were in the pool. Since Kaitlyn is so young, Teresa kept her out. Then when the rest of us went to go in, they said that potty-trained Eva needed to wear a swimmer diaper, so I gave her Liliana’s and took her to hang out with Teresa and Kaitlyn while the other four swam. It’s not exactly a baby-friendly pool anyway.

Kaylie and Eva were quite disappointed that they did not get to spend a whole lot of time in the pool, but we took them to McDonalds (or Old McDonald Had a Farm according to Eva) to cheer them up. It worked.

We spent the next hour traipsing the streets of Banff and hit up a couple shops. Eventually though, it was way WAY past nap time for Eva and Liliana, so we headed back to the Braams’ hotel to nap the kids. I’m quite disappointed that I did not take pictures of our adventures in Banff. There were cute moments of Eva and Kaylie together, holding hands walking down the sidewalk; or of the dads and the four girls taking off together as Teresa and I headed into Lululemon. Oh well, at least I got a couple, and I’ll have to be a bit smarter next time!

We went to dinner at a little place called The Rocky Mountain Flatbread Co. Their pizza is GREAT, but their service kind of needs improvement. Our meals came in stages, and some people were done before others had even seen their food. Then when we tried to split the bill, the waitress rolled her eyes and got rather nasty. They gave us a comment card, and we filled it out quite honestly. I’d go there again, but I’d avoid the waitress we had and maybe ask for our food to come all together.

Last night we stayed at a hotel with just our little family, but for the remainder of the time, we’re staying in a beautiful 3-bedroom condo with Noah’s parents, sisters, and grandma. Lucky for me, I really enjoy his family. His parents were gracious enough to give us the master suite, so Liliana is sleeping in the walk-in closet, Kaylie is on the floor, Noah and I have a queen bed, there is a balcony off our room with an awesome mountain view, and we have an ensuite bathroom. Nothing to complain about here.

After we settled in, we went back to spend a little more time with the Braams before they leave tomorrow morning. I also had a chance to test out some of my BeautiControl products on Teresa (and Kaylie, who liked everything except the warming mask). It was fun! I need the practice before I start doing spas. After we said goodbye to them, we headed back to the condo and I got to test out the products on Talitha as well. Again, it was fun. I’m hoping it’s just as fun when I’m trying to sell it, instead of just trying it out on family. I’m rather nervous about it, but I know that all will be alright.

I’m sitting in bed as I type this. There is no internet at the condo, which we’re kind of disappointed about. But, we can’t complain too much as it’s absolutely breathtaking here. It’s fully furnished, and the only thing we needed to get was food. They even have it stocked with books, games, and movies.

Tomorrow we’re hanging out with Noah’s side of the family as we help prepare for Laura-Mae (Noah’s sister) and Byron’s wedding on Monday. I’m glad we’re here early so that we can spend as much time as we can with them.

The Three Sisters.

I found a little internet cafe, and Tali and I are sitting here enjoying a little kidless adult time before I go check out some wedding picture places. I get to take pictures on Monday at the wedding, so I’m totally stoked about it.

And? It’s sunny. Woo!

Before I get to that, I’m going to show you a couple pictures from our little pool party yesterday. Liliana has stopped hating the water and is now loving it. We put her in her little floaty thing but didn’t put her legs through. It was like she was in her own little dingy.

We let her just float around free for about an hour.

Kidding. We’re good parents. Most of the time.

We took her out of her floaty and put her right in the water and she loved it! Quite a change from a couple days ago.

Noah’s always so nice to smile nice for pictures for me. Such a dear.

Kaylie is still LOVING the pool. She’d live in there all day long if we let her.

You know, I rarely post pictures of myself on this blog. That is mostly due to the fact that I’m always the one behind the camera and therefore am never in front of it. And due to the fact that I pretty much hate all pictures of me. Well here’s on for you. From behind.

When I jumped into the pool, my back stung a little bit, but I figured it was the impact of my sweet cannon ball. When we got back inside, Noah and Kaylie kindly informed me that my back was bright red. When we left for our play date earlier yesterday, I had put sunscreen on my burnt-last-week shoulders, but had neglected my back. Brilliant, I am. These tan burn lines are perfect for the halter backless dress I plan to wear to the wedding on Monday. Awesome.

After the pool, I bathed the chlorinated kids. While we were waiting for Liliana to fall asleep, I decided to blow-dry Kaylie’s hair and see how straight I could get her curls.

I think I did alright, especially since I used just a blow-dryer with no brush, products, or straightener.

She totally loved it and kept saying, “I can’t believe how STRAIGHT my hair is!”

Gorgeous, in my humble non-biased opinion.

On to the trip!

We originally planned to leave at 6:00 this morning, but since we were up until almost 1:30 this morning, I wanted a bit more sleep so I could be at least half awake when I drove the 860 km.

We stopped at Peters’ Drive-In in Calgary for dinner. It’s our FAVORITE burger place and we stop at it (a couple times) every time we’re in or around Calgary.

Meet Tali. She’s Noah’s baby (19-year-old) sister. She sat in the back of the van with Kaylie the whole trip and we REALLY appreciated having her with us.

Liliana totally loved the the milkshakes. She kept trading off on the three that we had.

Right after this picture was taken, Liliana wasn’t getting anything out of the straw so she tipped it, spilling Oreo milkshake all over her sleeper. Poor kid! I guess it makes sense though, she has to tip her bottle and sippy cup to get stuff out, so why not a milkshake?

I went to the van to clean her up and change her while the others finished up their dinner. She was kind of a wreck (maybe due to the fact that she only napped 25 minutes of her usual FOUR HOURS) and did not want anything to do with the milkshakes that the others brought back with them.

We then traveled the last hour to Noah’s Alberta hometown, where he lived for 11 of his growing up years.

I was HOT and I wanted to be COOL so I put one foot out the window of our air-conditioning-deficient van to try to cool off. Noah was concerned that one of his old friends would see him in his MINI VAN with his wife’s FOOT OUT THE WINDOW. The poor guy. As his dad would say, Dat’s a wuff wun!

Is it just me, or does my leg look like a cankle in this picture? It looks humongous! I guess it’s because it’s resting oh so ladylike on my window frame …

Anyway.

We checked in to our hotel, went to see Nick, Teresa, Eva, and Kaitlyn for about half an hour and then came home and put the kids to bed. Then I got ditched, for the second night in a row by Noah and Tali. I love that he loves his sisters, but seriously, I EXIST TOO! Sheesh.

(note: I might be a little sarcastic sometimes. Don’t take anything I write seriously.)

The nomads are back now and we’ve got to find something to do tomorrow while we’re homeless. We have to check out by 11:00 am and we can’t get into the condo that we’re sharing with Noah’s family until 6:00 pm. We also get to hang out with the Braam Fam tomorrow, which I am totally looking forward to. I miss not seeing them and absolutely love the time we get to spend with them.

And I have to figure out how to meld tan lines and burn lines and try to make them look at least half natural. Wish me luck.

Another day, another internet play date!

Today we met Laurie and Reid at a splash park. It took us a while to find it, since I had the wrong street in my head and had to pull over and check my email on my cell, but eventually we got there and had an amazing time.

Liliana did not join us, since she had just fallen asleep when it was time to go. Her naps will be all over the place this weekend, so didn’t want to wake her.

Kaylie had a great time running through the splash park, and I, the smart mom that I am, forgot to bring a towel. Whoops!

Reid offered his receiving blanket to dry Kaylie’s face, for which she was thankful.

Reid is an adorable little boy and I had a great time getting to know Laurie. I’m so glad that my first couple play dates here have gone so well. It’s been wonderful to meet Jen and Laurie and I’m excited for our friendships to grow.

I had an interview today with a staffing agency. It was probably the best interview I’ve ever had. They were totally non-threatening and were easy to be interviewed by. They have one position in mind for me at a law firm, and it sounds totally exciting. It’ll be a fast-paced work environment and I know that I’d enjoy it. I also know that if they do not find a job for me, that God has something in mind. I’m doing my best to find a job and leaving the rest to Him, since He is the one that knows our needs and will provide for them.

Tomorrow we head off to Banff to hang out with Nick and Teresa and their girls and then we’ll celebrate Laura-Mae and Byron’s wedding on Monday. Speaking of, I should start packing. I’m pretty much a pro now with all the traveling we’ve done this month. Oh yes, and I have to prepare for Talitha to stay with us tonight - which Noah and I are stoked about. We’ve missed that girl these last 8 months.

Can you believe that my baby is going to be SEVEN YEARS OLD in just 10 days?

Neither can I.