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!
I’m glad you got a chance to disconnect for a few days–I know what you mean. Sometimes you just need a breather away from the computer.
I can’t believe how turquoise those waters are! I’m currently in Washington state, so we’re close enough to Canada to make the trip in a day. Canada (I know it’s a big country!), is on my travel to-do list. The mountains & water are breathtaking.
Your lucky to have such a great family. You’re all so beautiful! I can tell you enjoy being with them & that they love you too. Thanks for sharing.
Wow, what an amazing time with your loved ones..sounds perfect!
What a good looking family!!
Ah, it is so great to see pictures of one of my favorite places on earth!! It’s awesome to see Lake Louise. Haven’t been able to get out there since 2005… :-(
Great post…love the photos and great scenery,,so beautiful around there(I’m closer to Jasper,AB). Love Bragg Creek too. So nice to spend time with family,,,enjoy<3
And I love, love blueberries,,,waiting patiently<3
Save trip home.
It looks like you and Eric have been having such a beautiful time with your family! I love the pictures of the mountains and lake, that water is soo crystal clear! Happy to hear your grandpa is doing better :) Have a great week, Angela!
OMG Angela, Lake Louise is such a beautiful place….I love mountains and everything that has to do with nature…you are very lucky!! Now I know another site I must visit when I go to Canada.
Question, are those photos taken from the same camera that you use to take pictures of your recipes? What type of camera is it?
Thank you! Yes its the same camera/lens (24-70mm 2.8 Canon lens) as on my FAQ page, #10.
Wow those pictures are stunning. I love that turquoise water with the snow capped mountains behind them. They are breathtaking. Sounds like you are having a great time so I’m happy to hear it! it is definitely nice and needed to take computer breaks. :)
Wow, Calgary is beautiful! And the food looks smashing too. is there a recipe for that quinoa casserole?
Looks like you had a wonderful family vacation! Visiting family is always the best. Looks like you are an amazing aunt, I hope your nephews know how lucky they are.
We missed you! I’m so happy you got a chance to go away, isn’t getting off-line the best sometimes!!
It looked absolutely stunning where you were, so beautiful.:)
Good for you for taking a break! That lake is amazing. I must go there. SOON.
Awww, yay! It looks like you had an amazing time!!! Also, your entire family is *GORGEOUS* like seriously…I couldn’t tell which was your grandmother and which was your mom. Crazy!
Looks like so much fun! And sometimes a break from the computer + internet are just what the doctor ordered! ;)
What a wonderful time with the people you love and holy moley look at those amazing pics!! Too picturesque for words!
Really enjoyed this post! Makes me long to head to the mountains–it’s been awhile since I was out there.
I have a question re eating vegan. For health reasons, I am thinking of adopting the vegan lifestyle for a while to see if it helps. I also have food intolerances to gluten, dairy, eggs and beans (can only eat them in small quantities otherwise because they are higher on my list). Will it be possible to eat vegan in a healthy way when not eating all these other options as well? Have you written about this at all in the past? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks :)
I love your recipes that I’ve made in the past and am looking forward to the cookbook.
I love all the pictures! It looks so beautiful there :) And you looks so gorgeous in your photos, I wish I had your skin, it glows :)
Angela,
Thanks so much for the pictures of Lake Louise. My husband and I took a 10 day “Mountains and Vineyards” tour of Alberta and BC in 2010 and your pics brought back so many happy memories. Lake Louise is stunning. If you do return, be sure to hike back to the tea house (there are two but my favourite is the one on the longer trek). The staff stay there for 2 weeks at a time and have to pack in all the supplies. If you are wanting to really disconnect and get off the beaten path, you’d love this little hide away. :)
AH! You went to Calgary, that’s so cool! I was born and raised in Calgary and your basically a celebrity to me, so this is cool for me. Glad you made the trek to Lake Louise-very beautiful place. I know that you have already eaten at The Coup restaurant, but if you are looking for another good vegan place, Gratitude in Kensington is a choice. I find it pretty tough to find good vegan places around these parts since the whole “Alberta Beef” thing is so popular but those two are my favorites! I hope you enjoyed your visit! I continue to enjoy your inspiring blog posts- thanks!
Hi Angela! Your pics are stunning! Looks like you guys really enjoyed yourselves! Can you share your sister’s Mexican Qunioa Casserole? It looks so yummy!
Its adapted from the book QUinoa 365 :)