Ed Sheeran - Taste of Edmonton - Fairmont Hot Springs

Despite being tired and busy all the time, this past week was pretty great!

Tuesday, I worked 9-5:30 then Keaton picked me up and we took our car to Southgate to catch the LRT downtown. Getting into Rogers Place actually wasn't too bad. James Blunt started pretty much right as we found our seats. He's really good! There was intermission after him, so we did a quick bathroom trip and we got popcorn and water. I was a little late running in as Ed Sheeran started, so I was freaking out a bit. But we got to enjoy all of it together. He was so amazing! For his last two songs, he came out wearing an Edmonton Oilers shirt and the crowd screamed so loud! 

I'm really glad we decided to go. It was Keaton's first big concert and he loved it too! 

On Wednesday, I worked 11-7:30 then we did the same as the previous night, parked at Southgate and took the LRT downtown. We got off at Churchill Square for Taste of Edmonton. It's a way for local restaurants to set up booths or trucks and serve samples of their best dishes. I wanted to go since last year when Keaton went with his family and it sounded so cool! 

I can't remember all the names of places we sampled from but we had:

-Pad Thai and Thai chicken wings

-Green onion cake

-Duck wings and mac & cheese balls

-Churros and soft serve ice cream (not pictured)

-Lemon Heaven lemonade and Grizzly Paw Soda Company root beer

We also got to walk around the fountains at the square and got to see the building that says "Take a risk. It's the most Edmonton thing you can do." which is super cool!

Thursday, I worked 9-5:30 again. I had to stay a bit late, so Keaton came into the store to get me. He noticed a pair of shoes that he liked and tried them on, since I had told him we should get him new school shoes soon. He agreed and liked the ones he tried. Meanwhile, there was a pair of black flats I had my eyes on, since my black flats are very uncomfortable (because they're from payless...) and because Winnie ate part of them. So with my discount, we both got some new shoes and we love them! Seriously, if you haven't tried Rockport shoes before, we both recommend!

We went home and got all our stuff ready to be picked up to go to the Gibb family reunion. Jackie and Eldon arrived and we drove to Peter's in Red Deer for dinner. We drove into the night to get to Fairmont Hot Springs in B.C. We arrived at the rental house around 1 a.m., so we quietly got ready for bed. 

Friday morning, we got up for breakfast and got to see our Gibb family members. We were going to do a hike at one spot but it was closed because of fire risks. We went back to the lodge and did a 2.8 KM hike that went around the resort a bit. We went back the rental houses and relaxed for a bit before having lunch. We went swimming later in the afternoon. The pools are natural mineral water pools, one cold and one hot. They were pretty great. And lots of the boys were jumping off the diving boards. After swimming we had dinner, and Austen, Caitlin, and Spencer arrived soon after that. Then we played our first round of Gibb family Jeopardy, organised by Aunt Terri. It was pretty funny and clever! I was put on the same team as Caitlin, and our team won the round! Surprisingly as we're the newest members of the family! We went back the pools for another swim. I wasn't feeling well, so I laid back in a chair and watched the sun set over the mountains and relaxed (it was a vacation after all!) 

We went back the rental house and played a couple rounds of Telestrations and the guys played Mud on the pool table in the basement before going to bed.

We got up Saturday and had our breakfast then played the second round of Gibb family Jeopardy, which was also fun. We chilled a bit then had lunch, then games were played. Some more swimming was had and Eldon took the GoPro this time and took videos of the guys jumping in the pool. And Terri even jumped off the high dive!

Dinner after that, with more visiting and chilling. Then we had our last round of Jeopardy! Again, a lot of fun doing that! I got asked to play some rounds of The Game of Things, which is actually a pretty fun game! Then to finish off the night, some more swimming. I mostly stayed in the hot tub though. Back at the rental house, we looked at the photos and videos that Eldon and Terri took at the pool and chilled before going to bed.
Sunday we got up and cleaned up the rental house and got ready for church.

So, a good thing about this resort was that there was a church building right down the road from where we were staying! How convenient?! They even asked Jackie and Eldon to give the opening and closing prayers and asked Keaton and Austen to bless the sacrament! The meeting was very good too. We only stayed for first hour since most of us had to get on the road to home or next destinations. However, that meant saying goodbye (for now) to Courtney and Tom, as they start their move to Toronto this week. It actually was rather emotional. But we are excited about their future with their baby on the way and Tom's new schooling program!

We went with Jackie and Eldon to meet Austen and Caitlin in Banff. I know it was Sunday but... Cows Ice Cream was in order! Mountains are cool and all, but nothing beats a little taste of home! We then took a quick drive to see the Bow River falls. 

We then hit the road for Calgary, and had dinner at Theo and Kenzie's new place, which is super great for them! 

On the way back to Edmonton, it worked better for us to go with Austen and Caitlin and get dropped off. And once arriving home, we unpacked!

*I wish I had some more pictures, but that's okay. There will always be mountain pictures and some more family pictures may still come later!*

**Thanks everyone who made the weekend so great! Can't wait for the next one!**

Like I said at the start of this post, even in all the craziness of life, we're still enjoying our fun outings and being married in general!

MOUNT ROBSON

We left July 3 in the evening with Jackie and Eldon. I had to work until 5:30 p.m., so Keaton took me home to change and get all my stuff and we all made a quick stop at Dairy Queen. The van has a DVD player, so we watched "What About Bob?" and a Mormon comedy version of "Pride and Prejudice". We arrived at Robson Meadows Campground to spend the night there with some people from our group. Keaton and I shared a tent with Austen and Caitlin. Mom and dad shared with Uncle Curtis and Jeremy. 

We had a good breakfast in the morning then made our way to the visitors centre to check in and watch the safety video for hiking. 

Gibb and Clarke squad

We parked the van on a road near the start of the trail, made sure we had everything and everyone's packs were fitted right. And we started!! We did about 6-8 kms for Kinney Lake and stopped there for lunch. We then did about the same amount to Whitehorn, where we set up tents to stay the night there. We played some games near the river and had hot chocolate too! 

We got up that Wednesday and packed up to hike the rest of the way to Berg Lake, and most of it was uphill! About half way up, we stopped for lunch at Emperor Falls, which was really cool! When we arrived at Berg Lake, we set up tents again and went to the shore. An ice berg had broken off the mountain, so the guys decided to climb all over it, which was hilarious! Keaton stood on it so it looked like he was surfing! Keaton and I, along with Jeremy and Sam decided to hike Toboggan Falls with caves at the top. Curtis was with us for a bit, but turned around. I don't blame him, it was hard! It was about 3 kms straight up! After some struggling, we made it up. The guys decided to explore the caves. I went in a bit, but I decided to sit outside for most of it. They came out all dirty from the wet cave walls, but they loved it! We hiked back down and went into the lake again really quick. 

We had dinner and all chatted for a while. 

Emperor Falls

View of Mount Robson 

Outside the caves

Thursday, Keaton and I, along with Jeremy and Tim and Sam, got ready to hike to Snowbird Pass, which is 11 kms up and the same back down, so a total of 22 kms. I'm gonna be 100% honest, I WAS DYING. I thought Toboggan Falls was hard, but there were parts going up where we may as well have been actual rock climbing!! Once we got that out of the way, we stopped for lunch in what the guys call Gary's Meadow (Gary was one of their young men leaders when they hiked it a few years ago, so he claimed it as his own!). Keaton said the meadow reminded him of Lord of the Rings and I said it reminded me of The Sound of Music.

We kept going another while to get to the top of the pass. Since we left in the morning, it probably took us about 3-4 hours. But once you reach the top, there is a cliff and you can see a giant glacier and the mountains across from it are Alberta mountains!! So we could see AB from BC! I was so tired but so happy we made it! 

We started the trek back down, which probably took us about 3 hours again. 

We ran into some people from our group who hiked half way up but decided to go back down so we got to chat with them a bit. When we got back onto flat surface, I started to realize how much in pain I was in. 

Plus I got a BAD sunburn on my chest and arms! Seriously, WEAR SUNSCREEN! (I'll try not to make that mistake again!)

At the top of Snowbird pass

Rock loveseat

Back at camp, Keaton and I immediately changed into swimwear and went to the lake to cool off our sore muscles and sunburns. We rested for a bit then had a late dinner. 

We played some cards with people, then went straight to bed. 

On Friday, the plan was to hike back to Whitehorn. But that morning, we were talking about possibly hiking all the way back down. We said we would think about it more at Whitehorn. Keaton and I had slept in a bit longer haha so we had to eat breakfast and pack up quickly. Curtis, Jeremy, Austen and Caitlin left before us, same with two other families we went with. Jackie and Eldon waited for us, which was nice of them! We all kept a good pace together. 

We stopped for lunch after Emperor Falls with some of our group we met up with. We hiked back down towards Whitehorn, where our group was waiting for us. We all decided to just hike all the way back down. For a bit of it, we had some thunder and light spitting. But it cleared up for the rest of the way. Keaton and I were on our own for most of that part. Again, I WAS DYING. After hiking 22 kms the previous day, and about the same that day, I was toast! 

After Kinney Lake, I thought I was going to throw up most of the way. We actually chatted with a couple who were walking close to us when we saw some trees fallen on the path! The wind from the "thunder rain" thing had knocked down two trees!! It was so crazy! As a joke, I said to Keaton, "I just climbed down a mountain, now I have to climb over some trees?!"

But we eventually made it back to the van! Our first group had already left for the hot springs in Jasper. We waited about 30 more minutes for mom and dad. We drove back to the visitors centre to use actual indoor plumbing! We were so sore and walking funny! 

We left and got on the highway for Jasper. Eldon decided to pass a car in front of us. But a truck decided to tailgate us as we did. We got back in the lane and the truck went speeding ahead of us and actually gave us the middle finger! We didn't know what we did! But as he sped off, the van didn't shift right and jolted. Something was definitely wrong. Lights started coming up on the dash and Eldon put it in neutral. We came around a corner and pulled over. He tried to restart it multiple times, but it wouldn't go. We were stuck on a highway in BC with no cell service! Eldon flipped the hood and was trying to figure out what to do. He stood out on the road with Keaton to try to flag down cars, then Jackie tried. Keaton said "Kayla, it's up to you now!" Basically using my body and cuteness to get people to pull over... I was frustrated but I didn't let it show. So indeed, I stood beside the van with a box of cookies, with my thumb pointed outward. Jackie also made a sign that said "Jasper or cell phone" which Eldon held beside me. Luckily, within 10-15 minutes, a truck stopped in front of us. He didn't have room to drive us, but we gave him our roadside assistance information and Austen's cell number so the guy could call for us when he got to Jasper. Just as he was out to leave, another guy with a completely empty truck with a back seat showed up and said "I already passed you guys but I realized how un-Canadian of me not to stop, so I turned around!" He was so nice to offer us a ride to Jasper! We packed up some things from the van and had to leave it there with the 4 ways flashing. We got to chat to our driver, whose name was Mark. Once we got back to cell service, Eldon was on the phone with roadside assistance, Jackie was looking for rental cars and hotels, and Keaton was trying to get a hold of Curtis or Austen. And me, I was just texting my mom and sister to tell them I was alive! 

Once in Jasper, we figured out the van couldn't get towed until the morning and the rental car agencies were closed at that point (this was about 5:30 on a Friday evening). We had no other choice but to book a hotel room. We got the first decent priced one we could find at The Crimson. Uncle Tyler offered to come get us, but we said we would figure it out. 

Amid all this craziness, it was actually a blessing that we hiked all the way back down that day! If this had happened on Saturday instead of Friday, we would have had much bigger delays! 

It was pretty funny though too. The four of us were all walking funny from leg pain and I had a huge sun burn. But luckily we got our stuff to the hotel room, then Keaton and Jackie and I went to the pool and hot tub. 

We got in touch with Austen who said they tried to get to the hot springs, but they had closed from thunder, so they started to head back to Edmonton. Keaton and I showered while Jackie and Eldon were at the pool some more. When they came back, they showered as well, then ordered pizza. They walked to pick it up, while Keaton and I went to a small grocery store to get aloe Vera gel and root beer. It was probably around 9 p.m. when we started eating. (By the way, if you're ever wanting decent pizza in Jasper, try Loulou's Pizzeria!)

We then found out there was no rental cars available for the next day, so Jeremy ultimately offered to bring Tyler and Lisa's van to Jasper to pick us up, which we humbly accepted! We went to bed after our long and hard day. 

When we got up, Eldon and Keaton had to wait for the tow truck driver to pass through Jasper so they could get more of our stuff out of the van. After they did that, we went for breakfast. The hotel was nice enough to offer us a free breakfast after having so much troubles! We stayed in the room until Jeremy got there for us. We packed up the van and checked out of the hotel. When we got to Edson, we got to see the van. They said they would look at it on Monday, so we cleaned everything out, just in case. We stopped at Dairy Queen for lunch then headed back to Edmonton. We watched "Flushed Away" on the drive. 

*Update since then: The mechanics checked out the van and it is dead. RIP Odyssey :(*

Back in Sherwood Park, we started right away to sort out camping gear, since we borrowed most of it. After that was done, Keaton cut the grass while I watched some of Batman Begins with Caitlin and Austen. Mom and dad drove us home on their way to drop off camping stuff at the Rolfson's. Keaton and I unpacked at home and started laundry. We thought about going to get groceries but we were so tired! 

We actually finished Batman Begins on our own, then went to bed!

So, I wasn't too sure how I would do on the Mount Robson hike, but it turns out I did amazing! We all encouraged each other and were all able to conquer our climbing! 

We all had such a great time, even through the pain and mosquito bites! 

22 and 150

First things first: I changed the website URL to include my new last name, so that is cool!

My Birthday!:

The Sunday before my birthday, we had family dinner at the Gibbs and Jackie had made me a giant heart shaped chocolate chip cake! I only ate about half of it with ice cream because I had just eaten dinner too! 

So the Monday before my birthday, I went to work, just like any normal day. I was helping some customers when a guy walked in with a rectangular box. I asked him if I could help him with anything. He said he was looking for Kayla Gibb and I was like "Oh that's me!" then I realized what was in the box. I signed for it and got so excited. Just like last year, Keaton had sent chocolate covered strawberries to my work! I texted him a really quick thank you and it was great! The customers I was helping wished me a happy birthday too! 

(For anyone who doesn't know, I got the same gift delivered to me last year at work, and it was so sweet!)

On my actual birthday, I had the day off, so I lazed around and watched Grey's Anatomy. Keaton got off work early and took me to WEM where I got a new jacket and socks from Mark's (both intended for the Mount Robson hike). We went to Red Robin for dinner, and I got a free birthday burger! Our waitress came when we finished eating and said if we filled out an online survey, we could get a free dessert! We did just that and we got a slice of cheesecake. We took it home and I called my mom for a bit. Then I was picked up by my visiting teaching companion so we could head out to visit teach! She is super nice and the women we visit are so great! After that, I came home to see Keaton and got to watch some more Netflix and indulge in the cheesecake!

Canada Day weekend:

June 30 marked one year since I first came to visit Keaton in Edmonton. We decided to recreate what happened when I did! After I got off work on that day, we went home to pack up an overnight bag and we went to Sherwood Park. We played some cards with Jackie and Eldon. Then around 10 p.m., we went to the same McDonald's to get dollar drinks! We took them home and watched How I Met Your Mother (last year was The Office). We then to bed, in the same room I stayed in!

2016 vs. 2017

Saturday, we got up and got ready for the holiday! First was pancake breakfast at town hall! We watched most of the parade, but we were mainly waiting for the Sherwood Park Music Festival float, since Jackie was helping with that one! We waved at her when she went by, then we decided to walk around Festival Place. 

Before heading out, we got Uncle Milts old fashioned root beer, which is great as always!

(Please note, Keaton has East Coast Lifestyle and I have Prince Edward Island. Some guy walked by and tried to tell us they should say West Coast, but we ignored him, because we're all Canadian here! Why does it matter if we wear a bit of East Coast pride?? Also, I'm from PEI, so it totally counts!)

We drove into the city and went to Duchess Bakery, where Jackie took us last year for lunch. Keaton got a meat quiche, and I got a vegetarian one. Both came with a salad. We also got one of their mini cakes and a chocolate chip cookie! 

(Not the best picture, but it was so delicious!)

We parked the car close to MacEwan and took out food on the LRT to the legislature building. We walked up to the spot we got engaged where they have a couple tables to eat at. It was special and so nice outside! We walked around some more and heard some music and saw lots of cute dogs!! 

We drove back to Sherwood Park and went with Jackie to a BBQ at our family friends, the Boutin's. It started raining a lot so we had to eat inside but it was still very good! Austen and Caitlin and Courtney all joined it as well. Eldon was there for a bit, but he was helping set up fireworks at Festival place so he had to leave early!

We went back home and relaxed for a while and played some Wii Mario Kart. 

We drove to park at Sherwood Park mall to watch the fireworks, which were pretty great!! There was some traffic while leaving, but we got home safe and sound! 

Canada Day was so great and I hope everyone was able to enjoy it!