This is the first time I’ve opened my laptop in almost 4 days now, which feels like f-o-r-e-v-e-r. As much as I miss blogging, it also feels really good to disconnect once and a while! I finally found a spare moment this afternoon to go through some pictures, so here is a recap of what I’ve been up to.
Thursday morning, we were up at the lovely hour of 4am to get to our early morning flight. I think I clocked in at about 3.5 hours sleep. We’re off to a great start!
Also, never underestimate how much room Super Soaker water guns will take up in suitcases…

On the bright side, we arrived in Calgary around 9am with the entire day ahead of us.
Also never underestimate the power of a latte.

I always love traveling east to west; those extra hours are greatly appreciated. My body, however, is still on Toronto time. I’ve been getting up between 5-6am since I arrived despite staying up quite late each night. I’m sure I will crash and burn any day now.
My grandpa and Diane also flew out from Ontario! Grandpa is feeling so well these days and he gained some much needed weight (he said about 35 pounds) since the winter. It’s SO good to see him doing so well despite his Leukemia diagnosis in 2010. He’s such a fighter! My mom is also thrilled as you can imagine. I feel so blessed to be able to spend this time with him.

Shortly after arriving at my mom and John’s, we headed out to get some coffee. My sister and nephews also met up with us and we’ve been attached at the hip ever since. They agreed to let me stuff them in my suitcase on the way back…

Insert soy latte #2.
Anglia? You can call me whatever you want as long as you bring me sleep in a cup.

The boys loved their Super Soakers, Battleship, and Glo bars!! Auntie and Uncle for the win. We had an epic water gun battle for hours on Thursday. I want to be a kid again!
On Friday, we took a road trip to Lake Louise.

From the turquoise water to the snow capped mountains, it took our breath away. What a beautiful place!


A stitched photo courtesy of Eric:

We hiked around the lake for a couple hours before heading in for lunch.
We also checked out Moraine Lake on our way out, which was also stunning (below)! Some of the snow caps were melting and you could see waterfalls trickling down the mountainside. Absolutely beautiful. We’d like to come back here another time and stay for a couple nights so we can do some major hiking. There is never enough time to pack it all in!

On Friday night, Kristi had us over for dinner and a sleep over! Lots of cuddling with my nephews ensued.
She made us the most amazing Mexican quinoa casserole and also my weekend glow kale salad. Awesome meal after a long day in the mountains.

We also treated each other to manis and pedis as late birthday gifts to each other. My feet haven’t had a pedi in over a year…it wasn’t pretty. They are currently soft as a baby’s bottom. :)
Let’s see what else?
My sis took me to Westside Rec centre for her good friend Cindy’s booty-kicking (ok, total body kicking!) “Urban Strong” weight and cardio class. Think, body pump class, only with intense (intense!) cardio intervals between each set. Westside is rumoured to be one of the best fitness facilities in all of North America. You should see their spin room….it has 50 spin bikes complete with a huge projector screen that guides you through a motivating bike tour.
Let me tell you, Cindy’s class did NOT disappoint! Hands down the best class I’ve ever taken. She’s super motivating and encouraging with awesome high energy (and current) music pumping loud. If any of you in the area ever get a chance to take Cindy’s classes, I highly recommend you do! She teaches spin and a few other classes too.

On Sunday, we met up with Cindy for a run at Westside. They have a huge indoor track which was great because the weather has been super rainy. The time flew by…wish I could run with these gals all the time!
We also had some family photos taken since we were all together in one spot, which does not happen often.
Click below for the rest of the photos or this post may self destruct in 10 seconds…
Eric wasn’t the actual photographer, but he did snap some lovely behind the scenes shots!

The boys played Battleship with grandpa in between photos. :)

After the photos, we headed out for dinner.

We had a fabulous meal at Madrina’s in Bragg Creek; a quaint town with a population of just 600 people.

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We’ve been here a few times now and it’s always excellent. I ended up having a delicious gazpacho, fresh bread with oil and vinegar, and portobello steak with roasted potatoes and veggies. They had no problem adapting their menu to be vegan which was greatly appreciated. It was a lovely & relaxing evening! (My brother-in-law Pete was also there, but took this photo)

Well, this is one monster of a post so I better end it here before this post explodes. I’m going to try my best to get another post up before we head home. I have a yummy blueberry recipe coming up and a guest post from Eric.
See you soon!
The scenery photos are fabulous! (I was born in Banff, but no longer live there) It was so nice to see how much snow cover is still on those beautiful rocks. Thanks for the tip about eating at Madrina’s. Bragg Creek has been an old haunt of mine. You and your family clearly know how to have fun!! You can rest when you get back to TO. Oh, I also spent many years living in south western area. Enjoy pics from there too.
sounds like a fabulous trip! i’m glad your gpa is doing better:) you all look so gorgeous for your photos! and that scenery is breath taking!
Thanks Caralyn, we are happy too. :)
Those pictures in front of the lake are gorgeous! The area looks so picturesque and beautiful! Like you two are photoshopped in LOL! Thats awesome that you got to spend some good, quality family time!
hah it does look like we were pasted onto the background…I said the same thing!
Awww… I can’t wait for Eric’s post!
what fabulous scenery! by the way, your momma is such a pretty lady!
Aw Angela what a lovely post! I really enjoy your posts that are a little more personal, it’s nice to see an insight into your life beyond your kitchen :) and I am so pleased that your Grandad is doing well. He looks very well, indeed. May he continue to have many healthy years.
You look fantastic and happy yourself!
Much love, from your longtime follower in England.
Hannah Alehandra
Hey Hannah, I’m glad you are enjoying this type of post. They are fun to do once and a while! Thanks for your well wishes for my grandpa, I will pass that along to him. :)
Angela,
It was great meeting you yesterday at Westside. It is also great to see that you still are talking to your sister after she took you to Cindy’s class :)
Enjoy the rest of your time in Calgary!
Laura
Hey Laura, It was so nice meeting you too! Hopefully we’ll get to do another class together next time we’re down. I should be recovered by then…hah ;)
So fun! I love Lake Louise area (I currently live in St Albert, but also lived in Calgary for a few years). I love the pics of you and your family – your mom looks like she could be a sister – so gorgeous!
I loved reading about your travels! Those photos are breath taking!
I would love to go to that fitness center, that sounds amazing and so motivating.
I’m glad you had a great time xx
A first-time post for me, but an avid reader and recipe taster for over a year! I love your recipes. As someone who is working at becoming healthy, thank you for your blog. I just had to drop you a note to tell you how beautiful your family is, and how stunning Calgary is.
Hey Susan, Thank you for your comment! I’m so honoured that you enjoy the blog & recipes. I appreciate your feedback so much.
Great photos!!! is there a recipe for the Mexican quinoa casserole ?
Hey Audrey, My sis adapted the quinoa casserole from the Quinoa 365 cookbook. Have you seen it before? She loves it. She just left out the chicken and had cheese/sour cream on the side. Easily made vegan.
Looks like a wonderful trip so far! The scenic photos are breathtaking – that was nice of Eric to share the stitched photo. The water, mountains, and blue sky all look incredible. You have a beautiful family! Enjoy the rest of your time there :)
It looks beautiful there! You find the best hiking places!
Hi Angela,
I am currently living in Edmonton (just moved here from Toronto) and am spending Canada-Day weekend in Calgary. I was wondering if you had a chance to get to any Vegan-friendly restaurants while you were there and if you had any suggestions! (If you ever come to Edmonton and i’ll point you in the direction of some AMAZING vegan treats! haha)
Thanks!
Hey Michelle, I suggest The Coup in Calgary….I love the food there!
AMAZING photos! If I may ask, where is the red/blue striped sweater from? Super cute!
Thank you Carly, it’s from Old Navy. I have it in green and blue too…lol. They have all kinds of colours and patterns!
Thank you so much for capturing the beauty of my home! It’s amazing to see it through someone else’s eyes… I try to get out to the mountains as much as I can but it’s all too easy to get wrapped up in city life.
Also, thanks for the vegan heads up on Madrina’s! My sister in law lives in Redwood Meadows close to Bragg Creek and lives that restaurant. Can’t wait to check it out!
and by lives I mean loves ;)
They were realy easy going about the whole vegan thing. I love that. I’m pretty sure they would have made anything my little heart desired. :)
It’s so beautiful there! And looks like so much fun!
I hope you stopped at the bakery in lake louise!
unfortunately not! We were really tight on time, but next time for sure :)
Your family is gorgeous!! I hope I can look as good as OSGMom someday!!
Oooh wow Ange, everything looks amazing! Your grandpa is looking so great, and you and Eric have definitely been soaking up the sights! I love the turquoise water at Lake Louise. (Not that I’d want to swim in it, I mean just to look at!!) So glad you’ve finally had a chance to unplug for a few days and chill out. Hopefully your body adjusts to Alberta time soon so you feel fully rested by the time you get back here!
You could totally swim in it, Ange! I’ve done it! So darn cold but incredibly worth it. They used to have relay races (for fun) many years ago. Oh the crazy things teenagers do!
Thanks Ange…I’m so happy to see him well too.
I wanted to drink the water ;) It looked so fresh…