After a year and a half of living apart from Dave, with my stuff - including my heart - in two or three or four different places at any given time, I can honestly say that I am so...glad...to...be...home!
Dave and I decided that after having lived apart for a while and having work, travel and schooling eating up the majority of our Skype time over the past year, that we needed a break from the day-to-day. We needed to reconnect with us, our marriage and who we are as two people existing under the same roof for more than 48 hours together.
With that, two weeks ago Dave came down to Chicago to help me pack shove books, boots, clothing and running gear into four large bags so we could make our way back north across the border hand-in-hand. I was sad to be leaving the little nest of home-y-ness I found living with my good friends over the past four months, but was happy to know I was going to be returning back to the Jaw.
Before leaving Chicago, we wanted to revel in the city's goodness for a couple of nights so on one evening out we visited a sushi restaurant to dine on veggie goodness and then over to Lush for some vino. If you are in Chicago, go to Lush...great staff and great bottles for $10 and under that you can then take to their adjoining tapas space to crack it open and drink mere seconds after purchasing.
We are fans.
We also decided to go back to the place we first met and re-live a little of the romance. We went out for a date night on our final evening in the city and ate some fantastic vegan dishes at Green Zebra (just GO!) and then stayed at a lovely hotel downtown before we had to catch our early morning cab to O'Hare.
And, then we were off...a short flight to Calgary from Chicago, a jog through customs and then we were on our way to visit friends of ours who live in the city. Of course, no stop to Calgary is complete without a stop at the Kensington Wine Market to pick up some bubbly for our fabulous friends who recently added a new addition to the family! We had a great dinner of Indian food with them and their three wee ones before continuing west to one of our most favourite of get-away destinations - Canmore.
The next morning, the sun was shining and the mountains were radiating their incredibly brillance into the blue sky. There is nothing like waking up to the sight of the "Three Sisters" mountains and the promise of hiking and trail running to get you going!
We had a great week. We ate good food and drank yummy tea at Communitea, we brunched at Harvest Cafe, downed some pizza at the Rocky Mountain Flatbread Company, and enjoyed the mountain air with a pint at the Grizzly Paw Brewing Company.
A road trip was in store on the Wednesday of our trip to Lake Louise. We hiked across the frozen lake and tried to make our way up the trail to the promise of tea house high in the mountains, only to be stopped by a recent avalanche that prevented us from downing any hot beverage. Along the way, we stopped to observe some ice climbers making their way up a deep blue frozen waterfall along the lake's edge and stood to the side as a horse-drawn sleigh slipped by along the snowy trail.
On another day, we took another hike up to Grassi Lakes, taking a harder route than we usually do. We slipped and slid along the trail and got to the lakes where it was absolutely still and quiet and perfect. We marveled at the kaleidascope of colour the lake offers up as the shore transistions from a burnt orange to the deepest of blue-greens as the water deepens.
Almost every morning, I found myself taking yoga classes at The Yoga Lounge, Canmore's oldest yoga studio. I breathed and stretched and meditated. The perfect way to let go of the hustle and bustle of the big city and transition into the slower pace of my lovely Canadian life.
On Saturday, we drove home...across the flat prairies, leaving the beauty of the mountains and pine trees behind, but looking forward to our future together...
under the same roof!
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