At the end of October, Jamie and I took a trip back to the UK to see his family. His mum had a very special birthday coming up and we wanted to be there to celebrate with her. And if you're going to go all that way, you may as well make it into a proper holiday! We flew into London, and caught the train straight down to Cornwall to spend some time with Jamie's brother Ben and his girlfriend Shell. They've just bought a house in Truro, and we were very excited to be their guests. They have a lovely [View Full Entry]

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Our first Thanksgiving in Canada was exactly what it should be - a fun weekend full of food and wine, feeling thankful for good friends and family. We were lucky enough to get an invite to Vancouver to spend Thanksgiving with our friends Zara and Simon. We hired a car and left after work on Friday night, spending the night in Kamloops so we could get to Vancouver fairly early on Saturday. It was a bit of a shock to arrive in Vancouver, with all the traffic and people everywhere - after a year in Jasper, Jamie and I have apparently [View Full Entry]

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Well, the summer is over. It's hard to believe since we never really felt like it got started! We can't complain too much - we've still got to do lots of great things these last few months, but I think there were maybe two weeks so far this year where I haven't had to wear a jumper! It's not right! So to update on the last few months, here are our highlights: McGilivray Slabs Our first multi-pitch climb. Jamie was so hyped up, I was so nervous, but we made it to the top! All four pitches! Exciting enough for it [View Full Entry]

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It's hard to believe that it's been a year since we got married! It's been a crazy year, and as an anniversary present, my mum bought us a sign that we've been looking at for a while. It says "Jasper or Bust" on it, and that pretty much sums up our first year of marriage. Obviously not the "bust" part, but for us, the last year has been a crazy challenge and at times we weren't really sure if we could make it in Jasper. But we have!! We've been here for 9 months and we're feeling a bit more settled, [View Full Entry]

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We were lucky enough to have another visit from Mum this month. She was in Washington DC for a conference and decided that if she was that close to Canada she couldn't pass up another visit. Yay for us! After an eventful flight and bus trip (including a police escort), mum arrived in Jasper on Saturday morning. Jay and I had to work that weekend, which gave mum an opportunity to get such much needed rest, and then we hired a car and took off to explore the Rockies for a few days. Driving down the Icefields Parkway was so much [View Full Entry]

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Our first mountain of the season was Whistler's. This one has special meaning to Jamie and I, as this is where we met. But instead of taking the tram this time, we hiked up instead. And before we hiked up, we had to cycle to the start of the trail. It's about 6-7 kilometres from Jasper to the start of the trail, but about 3kms are up a very steep hill...by the time we parked our bikes and started hiking, I was exhausted! The hike itself was great - really nice temperature (not too hot, not too cold) and lots of [View Full Entry]

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Lately in the mornings I've been going for bike rides by myself - I don't start work till 10, and it's so nice to get out on my bike all by myself and see the park. It's so good for the soul! I'm out by myself, and surrounded by beautiful mountains and trees...it's a really great way to start the day and to make sure that I keep appreciating where we are. There's something really peaceful about it, my bike is completely silent, so I can hear the birds calling and the wind in the trees (and my painfully laboured breathing [View Full Entry]

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At about midday on Friday, Jamie and I decided to go on a roadtrip for the weekend. Originally he was supposed to be taking part in a triathlon, and I was going to the movies with friends, but both plans fell through (Jamie has shin splints, the movie hasn't started yet in Jasper) and so we decided to take off on another adventure. Even better, we both get amazing perks with our job! The company Jamie works for own two hotels in Canmore so we got 2 nights in a nice hotel for less than half price. And when I was [View Full Entry]

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The last few months have been interesting - the snow melted, the sun came out, it then snowed again...Jamie and I were having serious concerns that winter was coming back! As much of a novelty as snow is for us, we'd had enough, and were definitely ready for the spring! We have now traded in our snowboards for climbing gear and hiking boots. As soon as the sun came out, Jamie and I were back at Morro slabs and bluffs. The slabs are perfect for beginners - nice progression of climbs on a warm slab that overlooks an aquamarine river and [View Full Entry]

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OK we were a little late in getting there, but we finally got our own snowboards! We arrived right near the start of the ski season, but there was so much drama finding work, sorting accommodation and getting some money coming in, that it took us a little while to get there. But better late than never! Jamie has always loved snowboarding since he first tried it in Washington DC a few years ago. I have tried skiing a couple of times (the highlight being piggybacked down a ski hill by my teacher on a school trip after I couldn't get [View Full Entry]

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