Our Jasper Tradition - November 2019

Jasper Tradition - November 2019 from Lisa Kercher on Vimeo

I love making longer videos of all the snippets of videos I take on our vacations. It reminds me of old school home videos from when I was a kid. Except mine have captions!

Please enjoy this piece of our adventure from November 2019 in Jasper National Park. This weekend road trip is a tradition for us. We get a cabin in town on or around Remembrane Day - November 11 in Canada. The whole point of this tradition is to do a bit of exploring, do a bit of laying around, eat snacks, and visit the cemetery. On this particular occasion we went on a hella long walk, found a train, a cemetery, some elk, and some more elk. It was frosty and amazing, and I am so proud of us.

FURTHER READING
My family has been traveling to Jasper National Park since before I was born. And I have been documenting my trips in many ways, for many years. You can find all of my Jasper-related blog posts here.

xo
Lis

Lake Life

Editor's Note: This weekend was MONTH'S AGO! How did I not finish this post?! Argh, to say the least. Today there was frost on my car windows, so what better time to post a bunch of photos from a hot summer day?

Sometimes it can be hard to spend extended periods of time with your extended family. Personalities clash, schedules get confused, toes get stepped on, frayed nerves get shredded...

But you can either choose to get sucked into the drama and be miserable, and have a crappy time OR you can choose to do what it takes for YOU to have an amazing time.

For me that means beach, sandcastles, and pretending I'm one of the kids.

Our EPIC sand castle and moat! There were so many awesome sand castle cities taking shape on the beach, we just had to join in the fun. Immediately after we took this picture we destroyed the whole thing!

P.S. Who's the babe in the bikini? (wink...it's me!)

The heat was too much for poor Dude so Grandma set out a blanket in the shade, got him a wet cloth to put on his head, we found him a book and he got to snuggle with Mom for a little bit.

Isn't my cousin's little girl adorable eating her giant marshmallow?!

This doesn't even scratch the surface of the good times I had last that weekend. Not even close. And maybe I wasn't as sociable with the adults as I could have been, but...who cares?!

xo Lisa

December Reflections

December is a month of busy week nights and weekends. Of pressure and obligations. I need to remember to take time to recharge and relax and take time for myself. And not sweat the small stuff. And smile! And have fun!

I took some time last weekend to head out to Jasper to visit my best blog pal! We had a super low key weekend, and it was truly the perfect start to the month.

I have come to love my solo road trips out to visit Nicole & Ian. The roads were surprisingly clear and the drive uneventful. I cranked my classic rock, ate my road trip snacks, and enjoyed the time by myself. Watching the sun set behind the mountains was breathtaking.

I had to pull over as soon as I hit town, because four of my favourite things in the Universe were in the same frame. I had to stop and catch my breath...

1. Mount Edith Cavell & Angel Glacier // 2. The moon! // 3. Venus...a tiny little dot here, but blazing bright and beautiful in my mind. // 4. Whistlers' Tea House.

I don't have any goals or aspirations for December, but I am sure they will come. I hope they will come. I have been feeling very uninspired these past couple of weeks and, well, my writers block is coming on something fierce! Eek! But right now I want to focus less on creating more pressure and more on enjoying the moments and people that are right in front of me.

December, you have reminded me of all that is awesome in my life.

Thanks.

later loves

Dinosaurs, Exploring, and Being Awesome!

Some photo highlights from our family trip to Drumheller on the October long weekend. Too bad my camera battery died on Sunday! After falling 10 feet or so on Saturday...yep...

The boys are doing their best dinosaur impressions!

Dude loved all the exploring and wandering we did off the beaten path. I didn't love getting across this bridge.

There are dinosaurs every where in town. This one is a Dapper Dino. Bow ties are cool.

Gotta love the museum! Well...everyone but Dude loved the museum!

My favourite dinosaur. Go Steg!

I've been to Drumheller loads of times, but never made a stop at the Atlas Coal Mine. We had an awesome "tour guide", and had fun wandering around through all the old mining equipment.

Next time I want to get down there in the badlands....and just wander.

later loves

Scary Flash of Life Before Your Eyes

Four deer crossing the highway.

A semi truck coming towards us.

I thought he saw them. I thought he would slow down.

But he didn't.

It happened so fast.

I do not want to think what would have happened if I hadn't shouted at Russ "there are more! there are more!" and he hadn't started slowing down before we got to the crossing. Those two seconds...

I thought the third deer would stop.

I thought they would all make it.

I thought I would never stop crying. For the deer. For what could have happened.

Today I am (still) grateful for those two seconds.

later loves

A Freaking Big Dinosaur!

The biggest tourist draw within the town of Drumheller has got to be the giant dinosaur at the Visitor Centre. And since we were playing tourist on the Thanksgiving long weekend we ended up there...twice!

Did I mention you can climb up inside it and look out it's mouth?

I love long weekends...

later loves

I've Found The Connector > It's A Reflektor

today I am grateful for

watching the sunrise over the prairies

waking up slowly to Dude stroking my arm and my face and giving me tiny kisses

my sister and her boys

hot beverages

homemade cookies

strong arms, and legs, and mind

fresh air and the changing season

sexy shoes, laughter, gin + beer, perfect silences

those extra 2 seconds

the strong men in my life

heated seats, warm mittens, thick socks and homemade quilts

Jane Austen

loving and feeling loved

knowing that dreams do come true

Happy Thanksgiving

later loves

Re-living Our Montana Road Trip

And this is me trying to be clever...hiding my journaling behind my photo. I sure have a lot to say, and it's got to go somewhere.

More of me being clever. And a dork, a giant dork. Yes this is a photo I took. It is awesome. Shut up. And can I just say what a fucking awesome journaling card?!

K. I think that's enough for now...

later loves

My Favourite Place on Earth!

I put on my big girl panties this past weekend, and did something I have never had the guts to do before. I went on a solo road trip and crashed at my friend's house! That may not seem like a big deal to most of the population, but it was for me. And I didn't even get anxious, or worried about being social and meeting new people, and being in someone else's space and over-analyzing where I would fit in that space. It was quite wonderful. I did pack too much, but Nicole changed outfits way more than I did, so it all worked out in the end! Wink.

I left early on Saturday morning, but later than anticipated. The weather was beautiful, and the drive uneventful. Except for the "Mid-Life Crisis Parade" I followed into the park. That's 8 Mazda Miata convertibles, in case you were wondering.

And blah blah blah, here are some photos!

Maligne Lake, one of the most recognized vistas in the park.

Yes, I inappropriately touched this bear dressed like a mountie. But really...how could I resist? // Waters rushing through Maligne Canyon.

The top item on my to-do list was to go up to Mount Edith Cavell. One of the glaciers fell apart and fell off the mountain last summer. The pieces hit the tarn (the lake below), which was at its high point, creating a flood and air blast. They have just recently opened the area up to tourist, and I wanted to see things for myself.

And Nicole was a perfect tour guide! This was her third time out within the week, so I was super grateful that she was willing to accompany me again.

This is my favourite place on earth, so it was kind of emotional for me to see it looking so completely different. But not so emotional that I couldn't goof around for Nicole. It's so rare that somebody takes photos of me, I had to take advantage of the opportunity!

And with this trip, I can check off one of my June goals. "Go to the mountains": done.

I have loads more photos, many of which I am printing and planning on scrapbooking! Say what?! I've got some layouts on deck to complete for TM, and some Project Life to play around with...wish me luck!

later loves

Back in November...

Russ & I went to a little cabin out on Pigeon Lake for some games & booze with his buddies from work (and their friends). After the panic attack I had on Friday night as a result of realizing I was going to be in a room full of strangers in a couple of hours (among other reasons....) I had a lovely weekend! Morgan even catered to my ridiculous dietary requirements!

We totally got "lost" going out there. And I'm going to go ahead and blame it on their inadequate signage and outdated internet map. Somebody should have told us we were looking for the cemetery...yep...it did feel like we were in a horror movie! We passed the entrance to the cabins four or so times, and finally just had to call Stu and get him to talk us in....and then jump out at us in the dark holding a beer, but we stopped the car in time!

Stu & Morgan are veritable game-collectors. There were bags and bags of games to be played. And they loved the one I brought the best! Whee!! So we played Cards Against Humanity twice that weekend and left most of the other games in the boxes. It was less funny the second time, and I really (really) suck at it, but it was still good times.

And speaking of the cemetery...

I went for a walk in the afternoon on Saturday, and headed straight for the cemetery at the end of the road. There are some historical graves, but a lot of recent ones as well. I found one that was still just a pile of earth....

The "back door", if you will! If I remember correctly, it had been snowing heavily that day and for many days before the trip so the snow was deep and there are no paths. I brushed off a lot of tombstones to read names & dates.

After I wandered around there for a bit - and saw a deer in the distance - I headed down toward Pigeon Lake. It was still pretty early in the season, so I just stood at the shoreline, not trusting the ice just yet.

And then I was getting cold, I had to pee, and the battery on my camera died so I headed back to the cabins! It was a fine weekend away. Comfy clothes, quiet mornings, good food, great company.

And I even got some stargazing in..."with BFF" (via text). The stars are so beautiful on a clear, cold winter night out in the boonies! Maybe I'll get another one of those before too long!

Do you guys enjoy a games night out with friends?
What's your favourite board game?
Do you hate board games, and think they are the spawn of the devil...??

later loves

Road Trip!?

This week is supposed to be "What to Wear on a Road Trip". But, as you might assume from past WTW posts of mine, it will quickly turn in to something completely different. But first...

Howdy! For me, road trips are all about comfort + style. Jeans are safe, cause I think jeans are comfy, and also stylish enough that if I have to get out of the car to make a bathroom run with Dude I don't want it to look like I've been sleeping in a car for the past hour!

A sweater is also a must have. Russel likes to crank the air conditioning, like, really crank the sucker, and I am usually freezing by about 10 seconds in to the trip. But will he take his damn sweater off and give me a little break with the blasts of freezing cold air all over my body? No. That would be silly!

Look! My Christmas tree! It's kind of pathetic this year as I didn't want to go through the hassle of getting the big tree out from the basement if we're not even really going to be here for the big day (more on that later).

I'm only going to sort of half-assedly apologize for the shitty quality and low quantity of my photos today. I am currently fighting a bitch of a head cold, and yesterday I started out a teensy bit hungover (I know, I know....on a "school night" and everything) so I was looking a totally worse for wear last night. After supper I took a quick nap on the couch before heading out to the Christmas event of the season: Dude's Christmas Concert!

Kids Christmas concerts are part ridiculous, part boring, and lots of parts cute and cuddly and hilarious!

Now, Dude knows how to "bring it" for What to Wear! Maybe I should have him take over this series! HA!

But seriously....check out my ladies with their clever Road Tripping fashions:

Abhaya // Bodacious Thought // Exploring Woods // Gypsy in Jasper

lala faux bois // Like a Small Fire // Salvaged Strawberry // Thinkin' Outloud

And don't forget to spread some blog-love on this lovely winter morning!

Coming up on the blog:

More on the Christmas concert (Dude sang!)

I scrapbooked!

December Daily & Project Life updates

And if I can get my shit together, a Christmas craft! Say what?!

later loves

I Miss The Ocean

Living where we do - (almost) smack dab in the middle of Canada - doesn't afford many opportunities to go to the beach. We've got some nicer lakes around, and feeling the pebbly Alberta sand in my toes is okay and all...but I really miss the ocean.

Even the cold BC one!

later loves

Like Mother Like Son

Does it even need saying...???

We are both giant dorks...

We like to sing silly songs. And skip, and giggle. And run really fast, and then walk really slow. And practice our British accents. And have impromptu dance parties in the living room.

And we both like to smile. And eat pizza (no cheese/fake cheese). And draw. And build things. And laugh.

It's impossible to pick and choose what personal characteristics your child(ren) picks up from you, but I hope that Dude gets my laid-back, carefree, big smiles attitude toward life. And that some dorky makes it through as well.

And that is Dude + Me in a nutshell. "Ah! I'm in a nutshell!"

later loves