Another great day, slightly shorter, but still great. I woke up at three thirty, had breakfast, showered, and got dressed. Mom came home, we grabbed a snack and walk to the yacht club, it was race night. It was rediculously calm, but still as great as ever. After the race we went to Brennan's for pizza and beer and listened to Scott Parsons. Now I'm ready to crash again. We'll see what happens tomorrow, Mom has the day off, so it could be a different story.

Home again, home again, jiggedy jig. I haven't stopped. I took a flight out of Fort McMurray Friday right after work, and got home yesterday morning at ten thirty. The family met me at the airport, we went home, unloaded the car, and we went to Cora's for brunch. Then we spent the afternoon swimming and lounging at Mur's new pool...it is absolutely gorgeous. Last night was the texas mickey party, so Mom drove me out to Ang's cottage. We had a great night and were up until about six in the morning, finishing things off with our usual swim at Ross Lane. After a short sleep we got up, had tea and biscuits, then went to Maid's for breakfast. I had Dad pick me up there, but as soon as I got to his place I went back to sleep. It was another gorgeous day, so I walked over to Mur's and had a swim. It was the Brennan's staff party, so I hung out there for a bit. It was a good time, but Mur was barbequeing salmon for supper so I didn't want to miss out. Us girls (Mom, Mur, Sarah and I) spent the night by the pool looking at the stars and listening to the music from the staff party. I even went for another swim. I'm turning into a little fish...

Last post from Ft. McMurray! My internet is being taken away from me. Boo. It's been quite a time. I've met some pretty cool people, and had some pretty fun times. This weekend was pretty intense; the student appreciation night on Friday and after party, and a girls cocktail party and night out on Saturday. Sunday was a right-off. I'm looking forward to a party when I get home. I fly out at 7:30 PM Mtn time on Friday, August 26th. See you Saturday, August 27th everybody!

Edit: The Schedule so far.

Saturday PM: TMC @ Stanhope
Sunday PM: BBQ @ Beater One
Monday PM: Sailing @ CYC
Wednesday PM: Sailing @ CYC
Friday AM: Hair Appt.
Saturday: Rolling Stones @ Magnetic Hill
Tuesday AM: Doctor's Appt.
Wednesday PM: Drive to Freddy

I cannot believe how quickly my time here has flown by. This Friday is our end-of-term student appreciation night. The first of my friends leaves to go home on Saturday morning. I leave in just 18 days. I've done so much since I've been here. Being in a completely different environment makes you realise just how much you do do in such a short period of time. The summer was slow and lazy compared to this winter, but still jam packed with activity. I love the mountains, but strangely enough I had a great time right here in Fort McMurray. It's a shame there wasn't the same strong sense of community within the student world this summer; at the same time, I had the opportunity to strenghthen some great friendships I started in the winter. I think there are some people I will most definitely be looking up in the future... especially Aaron and Kevin, you're way too close to be safe ;)

"Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired"
Robert Frost, US poet (1874 - 1963)

Since we arrived in Jasper in the dark, this was our first real look at the mountains. This was the view from our campsite that first morning.
The first stop down the highway was at Athabasca falls. This was the view from the catwalk stretching over the falls.
Just look at this...this is just some random spot along the highway.
Don't remember which glacier this is...
...but this is the Columbia Glacier. It's immense.
The crystal glacier fed Bow Lake just North of Lake Louise.
And looking down at Lake Louise itself, and the rest of the Bow Valley. There are a lot more shots from this awesome hike.
Of course there was wildlife everywhere, the mountains are amazing.

"Being in politics is like being a football coach. You have to be smart enough to understand the game, and dumb enough to think it's important"
Eugene McCarthy, US politician (1916 - )

I had a rockin' weekend. It was definitely time for a vacation. We started the weekend by sleeping in (a little) until nine. The rental company picked us up at about half past nine, and we were on the road an hour later. First we headed for Edmonton, where else I guess? We checked in to our hotel, and went for a late lunch. Barrie recommended this great place downtown called The Creperie, which served, duh, crepes. It was amazing; great food, great service, great atmosphere, great prices. We then did a little shopping at MEC, I can never resist. The evening was spent at Klondike Days, taking in all the excitement.

Friday ended up being a day at the mall. We got there in the morning and did a little accidental shopping. (The summer sales were on!) We went to the water park and ended up spending three hours in the water. It was too much fun. By this point we were starving, and got some yummy Mexican at Julio's. Not satisfied yet, we did a little more shopping before heading to the grocery store and getting on the road again. At seven thirty we left for Jasper; being a four hour drive we got there a little late. It was raining and late as we went through the park, and the girl at the gate told us there were no campsites left and we'd have to go to the overflow. It wasn't a welcoming scene, but everything turned out alright. The rain stopped, and we found a flat spot to pitch the tent, then went immediately to sleep.

Saturday morning we decided to head out ASAP. After a quick bowl of cereal and nice cup of tea, we started down the Icefields parkway. All of it is breathtaking. We stopped all over the place: the Athabasca falls, the Columbia icefields, and Bow lake, among others. We got to Lake Louise around two and were sent to the Protection Mountain campground about five minutes down the road. It was perfect: clean and quiet. We had made lunch, then drove up to the Chateau Lake Louise, and hiked to the top of the Little Beehive, then to the Lake Agnes Tea House. I think some great pictures will come out of that hike. Back at the campground, we met a couple of Swiss girls who still needed a site, so we ended up sharing. We had a few rousing games of "bumcircle", or "Jackass" as the Swiss call it. Did you know that Swiss-German and French cards start at 6, not 2?

Sunday morning we drove straight back to Jasper. Around lunch time we got a nice campsite at the Whistler's campground right in town. By that time is was rediculously hot, and we had no desire to go hiking. Over lunch we decided that heading to Pyramid lake was the best plan. We rented a kayak and paddled around the lake, then we went for a swim and flaked on the beach. It was great. The rest of the day was spent wandering Jasper and having a nice dinner at Ember's steakhouse. To finish off a great weekend, we headed up to Miette hotsprings. Even the drive up is incredible. Totally relaxed we went to bed. Monday was just for a relaxing drive back to the Fort.

It was actually a relaxing weekend. We all know how hard it is for me to relax and go with the flow. I did.