The Miss Elaine-ous Life

random acts of life, family and photos

I Did Not Want to Leave…

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I have so much to show and tell about our trip to Canada and right now I am still processing it all.

I guess I could start with the people we spent time with, that mean SO very much to me.  Just as I type that I begin to tear up because I love them so much.  And now I miss them again…

My cousin Misty is like a sister.  She and her younger sister, Amanda are just that to me, the sisters I was gifted with, but only from different parents.

Misty married an awesome Canadian guy and they are raising their gorgeous, sweet, big family in what I can only call God’s Country.

The moment I saw her face, in the airport at 1 a.m. (2 a.m. to our bodies) last Saturday, I felt at HOME.  She is part of my heart-home and always will be.  Yes, she is my cousin but again, to me she is much more than that and her kids are like my nieces and nephews.

Our first few days were spent with them at their lake “cottage” a bit north of Edmonton.  It was a holiday weekend for them so we got an extra day to go boating, drink margaritas on the deck (she’s STILL a Texan too, y’all) and thoroughly enjoy each other’s company.  Oh, and EAT!! (Captain Crunch French toast anyone??)

Her husband Mark kept the “Sea-Doo” gassed-up for Tim, who couldn’t get enough of riding it, and he made sure my kids had plenty of boat and tube rides to last them until at least next month. 😉  Oh and HE made that French toast mentioned above!

As I sat next to my sweet “Cousister” on the swing on the back deck, chatting and taking in the amazing view, I pictured myself NEVER leaving.  Our 10 total kids swam together, played together, ate together (well, except for her baby boy who ate with her… ;)) and passed out asleep late at night together.

And Misty has two little girls who are close to Katie’s age so the three of them were like three peas in a pod.  It was the cutest.

Not to mention her husband and mine share a brain.

I really wish we lived closer together. And I am already contemplating how I can drive my kids up there during another future summer and spend more time.

Here, you can see why…

(and yes, we ALL wanted to take the baby home with us…)

Comments

  1. Awesome pictures! Looks like you had a great time – good company, in an awesome country:))) (I’m from further East in Canada – but it’s a beautiful country all around!)

  6. Great pictures, Elaine!
    You probably would not like it as much there in the winter ;), Edmonton gets some brutal temperatures… You should come and visit me in British Columbia, I would totally take you to a lake to hang out!
    Glad you had a great time!

  8. These are absolutely beautiful! And I’m so happy you got to spend some time with your cousin and her family. I hope it turns into an annual event for you all!

  9. Hold up…Cap’n Crunch french toast?!?!

    That baby? nomnomnom I could just eat him up. What a gorgeous place. I can see why you’d never want to leave, especially with such close family.

  10. Well, that settles it. You just need to become Canadian now.

    Stunning photos. Especially the kids on the boat one. And the butterfly one. And the sunset one.

  11. That truly looks like an amazing summer adventure – I can see why you didn’t want to leave all the fun and good times – and such a pretty spot! Your photos are beautiful!

  13. I know you had fun on your trip, but I bet it was REALLY fun to go through and edit your photos afterward too 🙂 I love that part. Sitting down to recap and look at all those gorgeous images you have to remember it by. xo.

  15. Captain Crunch French Toast?! That’s a big wow. I love vacation photos that are just so…summer. I love how they capture time together. And of course, your photos are especially beautiful and talented!

  16. Truly amazing, so gorgeous – the place, the landscape, the children, your smile, the baby. Glad you had a great time!

  18. I want to go there (and possibly squeeze that baby!). I wouldn’t want to leave either. Vacation like that are the best.

  20. Oh that last sunset picture is beautiful!! Looks like such a great time. Some vacations are almost so tiring that you feel like you need a break and want to be home, but that one just looks perfect

  22. Oh man, awesome pictures…now I need to travel. 😉 And how fabulous that all of the kiddos will have these terrific memories…

  25. Does your cousin rent out the lake house?! Gorgeous! So glad you got to enjoy all our beautiful country has to offer.

    And so glad I got to meet you!

  27. Happy kids make everyone happy and yes I want that baby! I wouldn’t have wanted to leave either, my goodness. I’m glad you had a good time. There’s nothing like seeing family, even family you talk to regularly. It’s the physical closeness that intensifies the feeling of home.

  28. Oh Elaine, the pictures!

    Brings me right back to MN…looks and feels like that in the summer. And we talk the same as the canadians. 😉

    So glad you got to go and have such a good time!

    (I hope one day you get to move back to Texas…you know, like in my ‘hood.) (WOW, I live here! How’d that happen?)

  29. So amazing. It looks like an absolutely perfect time. And I know it is so hard to leave that too. Getting back to real life and getting into the swing of things after all that awesomeness is hard. Not to mention missing your cousister!
    So glad you all had such a wonderful time! 🙂

Trackbacks

  1. […] together when were younger (and still do when we can see each other).  Misty is my cousin that lives in Canada and so the fact that all three of us were together, in the same place was pretty miraculous in it […]