Let it snow, let it snow...ok, that's enough

Whoosh! Instant Winter.
I spent the day skiing at Riverbend, then walking with my friend Sylvia.
What a pretty day! Everything is so quiet and muffled when that much snow is falling. Riverbend has these amazing hills opposite the golf course for skiing on. Some of them are actually pretty scary. I had the place pretty much to myself. The outhouse may be virtually unusable, but it looks nice out there...as nice as an outhouse can.
There were a few forlorn geese floating in the river, their back covered in snow. They were not so much honking, like geese usually do, but making sad sounds. I imagined them telling eachother that they'd definitely waited too long to head to the time share. What a desolate sound. Grounded snowbirds.

Brrrrr.

Well...we were going to go cross country skiing today...but I'm not so sure. It's -20C right now...the hoar frost is pretty though!
Last night we went skating at Bower Ponds, and nearly had the place to our selves. After several chilly rounds on the ice, and MUCH goofiness from the kiddos, we took in the goodies at Westrock Bakery. Their cinnamon sticks and sticky buns are to die for.

Beautiful Newborns

Those of you who know me know that my husband and I have three little jokers we call our children. We love them more than anything, and it's super fun to see who they become, but sometimes I miss them being babies. That's one incredible thing about photographing newborns and infants for families. I get to hold your tiny new person, and record forever the amazing little faces and expressions! It's a privilege I get pretty excited about. Babies have quite a surprising amount of control over their facial muscles, and yet do not yet formulate their expressions the way older children have learned to. What shows on their faces is completely honest, unpracticed, guileless. I really love them for their newness, and their tinyness. (Tinyness...A new word!!!)
It's unbelievable to see them just a few months or even years later. They change, grow, develop the outward characteristics of personality. Shooting is always rewarding, because people and emotions are the key ingredients; but the fact that couples and families involve a photographer at such meaningful times of their lives is nothing less than an honour.
Thank you to everyone who allows me to be a small part of a cherished event in your lives.

Now that's a big screen!

Saturday was a kicking back day. We said goodbye to the inlaws, who were here for a visit, and our eldest daughter came home from a sleepover. Kevin only worked the morning, so we took the rest of the day to go up to Edmonton for a movie and some shopping. Harry Potter was finishing it's run on the IMAX screen at Silver City in the WEM.
Yikes. That's a big screen. It's only our third time seeing it in theatres, but easily the best. That screen is SIX stories high! The Quidditch World Cup was this close! To top it off, the Dragon in Silver City's lobby did it's fire breathing routine as we were leaving. Fire blows my hair back.
We got some shopping and dinner in after the movie. The mall was insane for a Saturday night because Canadian Idol was auditioning there. Numbered Contestants were everywhere.

Beautiful Place for a Wedding!

(Photos from Panther River Website - I'll have to go out there to take my own)
WOW. That's all I can say...that, and I hope EVERYBODY decides to hold their wedding at a place like this.
Today Nicole and her mom were in to book Nicole and Orrin's wedding. Nicole's family has this UNbelievable property west of Sundre. I LIVE for settings like this.
This place has cabins, room to board horses, trail rides, covered wagon trips, oodles of trails, guided hunting, white water rafting, and Views, Views, Views!
The wedding is not until September, so I may have to content myself with a trip out there with my family in the summer time.
Go check out their website. (link in Title)
Wow.

Adventure in the Bitter Wind!

No Climbing today...doesn't start til 4pm.
See my friend Ali with her geocaching find! Today was booked up...as a geocaching day. I had one client to take care of first thing, then it was off to the bushes, strolling about using billions of dollars worth of military satellite technology to look for tupperware in the woods. Well worth it, if you ask me.
One Cache was well hidden in an area that flooded last year and FULL of refuse and debris that the raging water had carried there. We hit a total of 3 caches today. In this wind, that's mighty grand.
Well, the kiddos & I are off the Jackrabbits where we ski on an odd mixture of snow and grass.

Happy Valentines day!!

I got to go walking this morning with fellow photographer and cool chic, Vicki Reid. We had a good long walk all over Riverbend. All the better to work of the cinnamon buns my husband baked for breakfast this morning. My gps stubbornly refused, however, to point us to the darn geocache we were looking for. I wonder how many times we strolled over top of it. I was hella happy to see snow coming down, because that's good for cross country skiing. Unfortunately, it only turned into an old fashioned prairie snow: 1 cup of snow mixed liberally with 40Km/hr winds. Bummer.
Tomorrow I think I get to go climbing with my friends Terra and Alison. Climbing is fun, yet humbling, frequently embarassing. I'll post the pics if I get a chance.
You just can't have too much public humbling.

I was in the box!

Last night Kevin & I got to be in one of the boxes at the Rebels game. I've always wondered what goes on in one of those swanky suites. Now I know. It's deep fried Mac&Cheese. I've never seen such a thing in all my life. Thanks to Jack from Mooney Insurance, I've seen the vast stores of 'beverages', comfy couch, and all 'round cushy comfort of THE BOX. What a good time! Kevin says he can never go back to sitting with the masses now that he's had all the pampering (food, drink, nice chairs) of the box. (He did go sit with everyone else the very next night!)
After the game, we hit Kelsey's for more food and drink. Several of the Rebels also head there for post game relaxation, and I have to say - THEY'RE BABIES! Talented, hard playing, tough hockey players nearly old enough to shave every day.
When you watch them play it's easy to forget that most of these guys are still in highschool, or not long out of it.
Anyway, they won in OT; a very brief OT.

Today the kids are pulling eachother around on sleds in the backyard - on the grass, where there is just a little snow. We need more snow.