A Visit to Banff, Alberta with Family!

Thank you so much for sharing your encouragement and support for my friend Stacy's book, Love, Emily! The winner for the book was Shug and I want to congratulate her on winning the book. A copy of the book has been sent to her! 

In other news, May was a beautiful month of blooms, and ended with a visit from my mother, as well as her sister and husband!  During the last week of May, they came to visit us and we took them all to Banff, Alberta, for the weekend. We had a wonderful time there, saw some incredible sights and scenery and I want to share some of the highlights with you. 

 

We stayed in a lovely condo with three bedrooms, a fully stocked kitchen, and glorious views of the mountains in every direction! 

We actually cooked every meal while we were there - so much cheaper and better for us! 

We also visited Lake Louise and were very glad we brought our coats! It was cold! Incredibly beautiful to see the glacier, the beauty of the mountains as well as the stunning Fairmont Lake Louise Hotel. 

We drove up the Icefield Parkway all the way to the Jasper National Park border. Such an incredibly beautiful drive, with so many waterfalls, lakes, mountains, and glaciers to see! 

We saw a lot of wildlife, mostly deer, elk, and bighorn sheep. The closest we were to any wildlife was this bear! It was feeding right alongside the road, so we stopped and rolled down the windows, as he completely ignored us, and let us snap pictures. Whatever he was eating was quite yummy! 

The views of the Rocky Mountains in every direction were breathtaking! We took SO many pictures! I am still going through my "big" camera pictures, and these pictures are from my phone. 

We saw so many waterfalls, but this one was our favorite - there was a beautiful rainbow in the water! Can you see it? 

We enjoyed the beautiful days we were in Banff with the cooler weather there and have enjoyed some cooler weather here too! But, the hot weather is supposed to return later this week. 

My peonies are in bloom! Oh, they are just gorgeous this year! And can you see the strawberry moon rising in the background? It was beautiful to see!  

Spending time with baby Danika is one of my very favorite things to do! Her little arms squeeze and give the best hugs, and she is learning to repeat things she hears and sees. So precious! 

FATHER'S DAY - Oh, how we missed being with our Dads for Father's Day! They both loved to eat ice cream, so in honor of them, we enjoyed an ice cream with Ryan and Alanna. 

It was sweet to think of them and the precious memories we have of our Dads. It has been 2 years since my Dad passed, and 8 since Dan's dad passed. Some days, it just doesn't seem real that Dad is gone. But I feel his presence in my heart, and know that he's in a much better place! 

Fresh strawberries are now coming out of the garden daily! Soon, I'll have enough to put up some jam for the pantry! 

Sourdough bread making - I make it about once every couple of weeks. I make three loaves and freeze two of them. I'm so thankful for a good recipe that turns out amazing every time! If you want my recipe, you can find it in my cookbook  HERE  :)

And if you've enjoyed my cookbook, a short review would be much appreciated :)  I've enjoyed having my recipes all in one place, and am so thankful that I published this cookbook, it has been a blessing in my kitchen, so I don't have to rummage through all my recipes to find the one I need! 

Here my garden is all lit up at nighttime with my solar lights. I just love how solar lights add such ambience and joy to our lives! 

It's hard to believe that we are already close to the end of June! This month has just flown by, with so many incredible delights along the way. I hope that you have enjoyed the month of June as much as we have.  While life keeps us all busy, and the seconds, minutes, hours, and days keep moving us along - be sure and stop to enjoy the little blessings the Lord sends your way - whether it is a butterfly passing by, some beautiful clouds in the sky, or just a smile from a stranger. 

I've found the best way to enjoy this journey of life is to find little things to take joy in, and let that joy wing its pleasure through your day, rather than the heartaches, sorrows, griefs, pains, and troubles that we all face.  Have you found something small today to take joy in? I hope you have!  

In this video, the Collingsworth family sings one of my favorite songs - Jesus, You're the Center of My Joy... as you look for little pieces of joy today in your life, perhaps you'll sing this song too - Jesus is the Center of My Joy! 

Blessings to each of you!