I can't believe what I did today! I'm in Banff, Alberta for a counsellors' conference. "The squire" and I left our country mile on Wednesday morning and arrived here yesterday after a two day drive across the western prairies.
This morning we decided that, since the conference didn't begin until 7:00 this evening, we should take advantage of the chance to visit some of our favourite mountain scenery, as we haven't been here for several years. An hour's drive along the beautiful Bow Valley Parkway took us to Johnson's Canyon.
It's been on my "bucket list" to walk at least up to the Lower falls of that canyon at least once more in my life. To be honest though, I didn't really expect ever to do it because my feet and ankles have been deteriorating significantly and walking on level ground is more difficult than it was even a year ago. So it didn't seem reasonable to want to climb a twisting and turning rocky, slippery path.
But when the squire said, "what do you think, should we try it?" I didn't even pause to think before I said, "I'd like to hike to the Lower Falls." After I said it, I saw the sign that announced the Lower Falls were half a mile's worth of hiking. And then, of course, there was the return hike to do after that...
Halfway up I already began thinking that this wasn't going to work; my ankles were killing me and the slippery surfaces were dangerous in some places. But my natural stubborness kicked in. No way was I going to tell the squire how I was feeling! I decided just to keep climbing and think about something other than how my feet felt.
When I got to the top, I was so thrilled I even went through the cave-like tunnel to stand in the spray from the falls thundering by only a few feet away. The squire had decided he didn't want to get wet, so I went in on my own. I'm not sure I would have made it through and then back out again, had it not been for helpful strangers who sensed my hesitation at some points and gave me a hand for balance over the slipperiest spots.
And then somehow, with frequent stops to rest on some conveniently placed benches, I made it the half mile back down again, with more than a little encouragement from the squire.
And now I'm every bit as sore as I figured I'd be and happy to pay that price. I'm so pleased that I was able to do it. I can definitely stroke this one off my bucket list.
I shared my pleasure with a new friend at the conference tonight and she reminded me that I should also add something new to my bucket list now, for as she pointed out, "You never want to get to the end of the list."
I'm pleased and proud and tickled PINK to introduce the newest member of the family the "Squire" and I treasure so much. Kara Rosa Josefa was born on Easter Sunday morning, weighing 8 pounds and two ounces and measuring twenty inches long. It took exactly one minute for every member of our family to fall in love with her ... totally, completely, and head-over-heels in love.
Kara and her Mommy and Daddy are a beautiful little family and I can hardly wait for them to come visit on our country mile.
At two days old, Kara was already bright and alert when her parents brought her home from the hospital. She loved the car ride.
Doesn't she look content snoozing in her Opa's arms at six days old?
Here's the response I got from her on the day of her newborn photo shoot at my daughter Jenn's photo studio when I sang Kara a German lullaby that I remember my mother singing to me and my siblings. Jenn was hoping for lots of sleeping poses so when Kara got too wakeful, we'd feed her and then rock her back to sleep. When it was my turn to rock her, I just instinctively began singing the lullaby and Kara opened her eyes wide and gazed fixedly at me. She grew very still and seemed to be listening intently. Of course, after a few minutes she dropped into a deep sleep. I guess this Oma hasn't lost her touch, even though it's been ten years since we had a new baby in our family.
Kara's birth day feels extra special to us because twenty-eight years ago when our other daughter, Kate, was born, it was also on Easter Sunday morning. That Easter fell on March 30 and we called "Katie" our little Easter bunny for months after she was born. In some families, when very young children want to know how they came to be in the world, their parents or grandparents might say that "the stork brought you." I guess in our family, we'd have to say that the Easter bunny brought Kara.
