Happy Canada Day and Fourth of JuLy!!!!!

So this year was kind of different for both of these holidays. We usually love to celebrate both considering where we are living at the time... Canada or the US of A. So this year was Canada, but it was totally different. Maddi was leaving with Grandma Char and Grandpa Tom to go to Utah to a family reunion so we packed her into their car and shipped her off. I think she was very excited to be going on an adventure without us. Now, usually we would be going to Raymond for the big July 1st parade but this year.... we didn't. Nope, Nada, Nothing. We really did nothing spectacular to celebrate it. Brandon and AJ went off with friends to celebrate in Lethbridge. Dustin and Mitch (Yes he has become a somewhat permanant figure at our home) just hung around and then went into Lethbridge to the Fireworks. So we had no picnic, no heading to Waterton as we usually do and really we just layed around doing regular stuff. I guess that's what happens when your family all takes off to the States to visit relatives and we are left, a lone family, whose older children don't want to be with us as much as their friends, and there's no one left like Jody to get everyone doing something. The only thing that said Happy July 1st to me was that Kait and I headed over to raymond at 10:30 PM to get our place on the hospital lawn to watch the fireworks. We couldn't miss that. And through it all Kait would ooh and ahhh and then say "Maddi sure wouldn't have liked that one, nope not that one either." But you know what Kait and I loved them all, She the Noisy ones and me the quiet sparkly ones. It was still a pretty good July 1st.
The next day we bundled AJ and Brandon, dressed as the darn cutest cowboys you ever saw, off to TrEk... in the pouring rain. Both actually went without too much moaning and groaning. I had a few feelings of aprehension as the rain started pouring as they drove out of the church parking lot for their pioneer desination, and prayed that the rain would stop quickly. With the boys on their way to their adventure I was summoned home by Dustin who was waiting for the car that we had so generously agreed to let him borrow to take a group of friends to Sandpoint, ID. for the 4th of July weekend. They headed out immediately and that left Jeff, Kaitlin and I to get ourselves ready for our little adventure. We couldn't just sit around by ourselves while everyone else took off for adventure. We threw our stuff in the truck and took off for Great Falls. MT. It may not sound like to greatest get away but we ended up having a lot of fun. We stayed in a hotel, shopped, went to a movie, ate at some fun restaurants, and explored Great Falls and it's surrounding area. We even found the falls that Great Falls is named for. I had never seen them. We liked the shops on downtown Center St. They were in the old buildings. We drove down River st. and out to the outlying areas. It was relaxing and a nice get away. But we headed home on the 4th and so we didn't see a parade or any fireworks. But you know what that's OK!  Even though we didn't celebrate as we might traditionally do we still are greatful to be a part of not one but two great Countrys. We love CANADA and the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and our proud to be part of them both. We feel very very BLESSED!