CANADA

Gary and I made a trip up to Canada last week. It was really fun and just too short! I have TONS of pictures so I'll make this quick and let the pictures do the talking. I have to say though, I have forgotton just how beautiful Canada is. Well, I haven't really forgotton, but it was a reminder to me that I AM right when I tell people that it's beautiful.

Oh my goodness, this picture just reminded me of a story that I DO have to tell about our drive up. So, we booked a hotel in Helena, MT. which is just past the half way point. We got a late start because some last minute things came up that we had to tend to before we left. With the late start the plan was to arrive at our hotel by about 1:00am. Not too bad. By about 11:00pm I started to get tired and fell asleep. I woke up at 1:00am to Gary muttering to himself under his breath in a frustrated mannor.

After inquiring what was wrong he told me that we were going to run out of gas. I then asked him where we were, he told me that we were about 40 miles past Dillon, MT. For those of you who don't frequent the I-15 in that area, there are certain places you just ALWAYS get gas or you miss your chance. It's not like Utah where you can get gas at any time of day or night off any exit. These are small towns, with those old pumps some of you have probably NEVER seen that don't take cards and are not even digital! Hard to imagine? It's true. So, back to my story. I sort of blow it off and tell him that his tank will go forever (like Gary ALWAYS tells me when I say the same thing to him about running out of gas) and he replies with "No, Tara...I've been driving like this with the light on for a LONG LONG time. We really ARE going to run out of gas." Oh, did I mention that I haven't driven this trip for a long time too? AND that we forgot our map at home? So, in my efforts to calm him down I decide to call my Mom to figure out where the next possible OPEN Gas Station might be and how far away it is. I give her a call and while she figured it out, I told her that Gary and I were going to say a prayer and then give her a call back. We say a prayer during which I begin to cry (oh the drama) and after, I immediately go to call my Mom back and of course now we're out of phone service. Totally on our own.

Right about this time we come to an exit - Divide, Montana. Ever heard of it? Didn't think so! The exit sign had a gas picture on it so, here's the question: do we use our finite fuel to get off the exit and look for this gas station taking the chance that it is most likely closed and we very well might not make it back to the I-15 or do we NOT get off, NOT get gas and keep going? What would YOU do? Hard decision right? We decided to get off and go ONE mile and then turn around if we didn't see anything. We saw a bar (closes) and a post office (closed) and THAT WAS IT! So, we quickly turned around and got back on the I-15 (as if doing it quicker would actually extend the distance the car would travel on fumes). We got about a half a mile up the road and ran out of gas. In the middle of NO WHERE at 1:00am. We put our hazard lights on and decided that the only way out of our current situation would be to actually trust a stranger. Kind of hard to do in a world like today.

After a minute or so, a set of lights came over the hill about a half mile ahead of us. Gary started flashing his brights and turning his lights on and off (to let the driver know that there were actually people in the car). It ended up being a big transport truck and he stoped!!! (Didn't think we'd be so lucky to have someone stop at such a late hour on our first try!) Well, to make a really good and really long story a little bit shorter, our truck driver, Jason, drove us back to Divide telling us that there IS a 24-hour card reader pump there (but there wasn't, it was gone). After that anticipated disappointment we thanked him for his help and asked him if he might drop us back off at our car. As he was pulling back up to our car and gearing down, he suddenly popped his truck into the next gear and took off saying" Awww, I can't just leave you guys here. I'm going to take you to Butte." - It was REDICULOUSLY AWESOME and ANSWER TO PRAYER. During the next hour we got to know Jason quite well and came to realize just how big of a favor this was for him. He had to be back home to drop off his load by 7:00am and then was taking off on his own family vacation. Not to mention the expense of driving an extra 40 miles out of his way. He was SO nice! We were totally blessed and watched over. Good story eh? I don't think Gary will run out of gas ever again! :::wink:::

Canada is amazing. My favorite site is crossing the border! There are tons of these elevators all over the place and everything is just so beautiful! Here are a couple we took on our way in.

Of course, our very first stop in Calgary was Peters! Wonderful, as always! Hmmm, I'm glad I live so far away from that place, because just looking at this picture makes me want some right now. Peters' Drive-In is a burger/fries/shake/etc. place in Calgary. There is only one! That's right...you ALL will have to make the trip up north if you want to taste that yummy Beef! You can't see really well because of the car parked behind Gary but let me tell you (and all you Calgarians can back me up here) it is packed busy 24 hours a day! PROMISE! Don't believe me? Make the drive! I have never been to Peters and had it not be busy, EVER!

We also took a trip to Banff. Just posting this blog makes me miss Canada. This Mountain Sheep walked RIGHT past us. I mean RIGHT RIGHT past us. Kind of freaked me out. But it seemed harmless.

Yes, REAL LIFE PICTURE taken by yours truly. Trust me, it's not really the skill of the photographer because there are none, it's really that pretty!

This is the Banff Springs Hotel. Very grande and very beautiful up high in the mountains!

Gary snowboarding in Banff...

Gary ALWAYS makes fun of me for calling it a "Washroom" but when he actually saw it on a door? That did him in!

CANADA Continued...

After Banff, we headed down to Cardston for the second half of our trip. First thing down there, El Temple! It was beautiful. Would you believe me if I told you that my parents were married there AND Gary's parents were married there? AND, to make it even better...that it was in this very Temple that I first layed eyes on Gary THREE years before we ever even met or started dating? Crazy eh? So it was kind of sentimental for us! :::SIGH:::

Dinner in a small town. It was actually pretty good though! The ice cream was my favorite part! DUDE, Crispy Crunch, my FAVORITE Canadian chocolate bar. They had that flavor of Ice Cream! It was to die for!

The main purpose for this trip was to meet and visit with Gary's Grandmother. She lives in Cardston in a home there. She is one of the cutest women I have ever met! She has a hard time remembering things, BUT has such a cute spunky personality. I enjoyed just visiting with her, laughint with her, and just watching her! I bet she's been an amazing woman all her life! The trip was worth it just to get to know her!

Sunday we took a trip to Waterton. Another "Must See" place to visit for all of you! When I was younger and living in Canada, we used to holiday here every year. It's so beautiful (How many times do I have to tell you that Canada is beautiful before you'll believe me and go visit?!?). This is up on a hill by a hotel called the Prince of Whales Hotel (pictured below). It's very windy up there!

My Grandma used to work summers in this hotel as a maid. She has told me many times about the "White Glove Test" her bosses used to do on the rooms they cleaned and how she had to clean toilets with her HAND, no brush! Gross eh? But it's a nice hotel!

This is down below in Waterton. From left to right: Drew Thompson, Susan Thompson (Gary's Sister), Peggy Fears (Gary's Mom), Tara Fears (Gary's Wife), July Lacy (Gary's Sister)

K, another quick story. Susan and Drew decided to challenge us to a "Who can take the most lovey picture" contest. So, they did their photo shoot and then we did ours...well, happy to say, this was the winning picture! The waterfall in the background is really pretty eh?

Another one from the 'photo shoot' Gary liked this one lots.

Then we walked down to the lake and put our feet in the FREEZING cold water and then skipped rocks FOR EVER! It was so much fun. The skin on the top of my finger started to wear off and the next day, my arm was sore. I'm a wimp.

This was on our way to and from Waterton. It is such a classic "Alberta" picture to me. When I imagine Alberta, this is one of the things I imagine in my head. Can you see how the haystacks just go on forever?? Awesome eh?

Monday was the Raymond Parade. THAT was fun! Gary's Mom was raised here...along with her siblings who were all there for the event. Well, they know all my family that grew up in Raymond as well! So, from the second we got out of the car I was constantly meeting my relatives! Crazy eh?

HAD to include the picture of the RCMPs!

...and one of Gary sporting some Canadian pride!

And then, off to the Rodeo! That's right folks! We do things up right in Raymond, Alberta!

A highlight of the event: Mini Chuckwagon Racing! - Can you see those cute little horses? K, I admit, I don't know what their proper names are...but you can still see them right? Gary and I decided that we're going to get a team of them and ride them in the July 4th parade in Provo, UT. next year! Anybody have any connections for us?

and then back to Cardston for a July 1st Fireworks Celebration

While we waited for the fireworks to start Gary and I introduced Julie to a game that we like to play when we have a camera and are a little bored. What you do is take turns saying a word (emotion, feeling, etc.) and immediately snap a picture. What you have to do before the picture is taken is make the face that represents that word. Can you guess what word we were representing?

:::::CONSTIPATION:::::

Good one eh? There are many more, but I thought I'd just post my favorite of the night.

Here is half the crew after the fireworks. It's funny because Gary and I were commenting at how much fun we had with older people this weekend! We quite enjoyed the fun late nights and stories! Overall the trip was a blast! We had to much fun with all the family we saw while we were up there and can't wait to go back and finish our list of things to do and see!

Garbo

Would you believe that it was exactly ONE year ago today that Gary asked me to marry him? I just went to his blog (that has NOT been updated since) and re-read his version of the story. What a cute husband I have! I am so lucky to have him in my life! I can't believe we've been married for ten months already! It's been a blast so far and I adore him more each day!

I found a few pictures that bring either butterflies, smiles or even laughs...so enjoy the Gary Tribute!















YES, when I met Gary, he had LONG hair. Something about this record he was trying to break with NOT cutting his hair for seven months. I can't remember if he actually broke his previous record or not, but I HAD to include a picture of when he was "back in high school" as he often refers to the long hair days.



















Now, doesn't he look good on the scooter? I've been begging him for one for a LONG time...so if you all could let him know how good he looks on it, it might help me out a bit! :)















Yes, my husband even makes HOMEMADE ice cream. I have a recipe that is just to DIE for. So, if you all want a fun FHE activity or just want to indulge, Let me know.















Gary is also a VERY loyal BYU fan. Because he had school work to do, he asked me (OK, I volunteered) to go wait in this ETERNALLY LONG line that included watching an entire women's basketbally game (while in line...YES, FOR THAT LONG!) just to get tickets to the BYU vs. Utah Mens Basketball game. Man, I must love him lots becaues the whole time I sat there I kept thinking of all the things I needed to be doing and not to mention how hungry I was!















Gary, the dedicated student. In fact, as I type this he is doing the very same thing. It's finals right now and he's been studying more than anyone I know. He was up super late and got up at 5:30am this morning with me...he came home at 2:30 this afternoon and asked me if I'd give him a wake up call at 4:00. Well, I've been trying since and it's currently 6:16...I'm going to safely assume that he's still sleeping.















New Years...I sure hope no one blew on those horns after this picture was taken!




















K, don't tell Gary I put this one in. I'm taking my chances here that he will NOT read this, he'd not be all that thrilled to know I posted this picture on my blog! I just had to as part of my tribute to Gary. This past winter we went up the canyon with some friends and rode 4-wheelers all around in the snow. It was SO SO SO cold but so much fun. We stopped at some gas station on the way home to get out of our clothes and I just couldn't resist stealing this photograph! Isn't he a hottie?!?















K, this is one of my not so shining moments. Gary gave me a puzzle for Christmas, which I LOVE. However, I beleive it was New Years day...we stayed home ALL day long and worked on that dang puzzle. When I say all day, I mean...I was still in my pjs, hair all a mess, woke up and walked to the Kitchen table and didn't move until the puzzle was done like 7 hours later..and so did Gary. I thought posting the picture of Gary would be better than posting the picture of me on that day!














Another attractive picture.















This is from that same day that we went 4-wheeling up the canyon.















Another thing I love about Gary is that he just enjoys spending time with me, even if it means QUILTING! This picture is NOT just him posing. He is really quilting and he did a great job too!















This is Gary and his sister, Julie. Check out the piece of Cocoa Crispie on his lip. Ha!















Recently, Gary had the opportunity to baptize our nephew, Garrett. It was a really special opportunity for Gary. He's such a great uncle!















This was from our recent camping trip on our way down to Arizona. I have every intention of going back to this place sometime soon!















More camping!

I just LOVE him and am so blessed to have him be such a huge part of my life!

So, I was thinking about Edward today

Alright ladies...I've given you PLENTY of time to read that fabulous book, "Twilight" that I mentioned a week or so ago. If you haven't picked it up yet, SHAME ON YOU! We need to make something clear here...YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK! You'll LOVE it!

But that's not the purpose of my post today. I wanted to let you all know that the stories of Bella Swan and Edward Cullen are NOT over! In fact, they are just beginning! I've included a picture of "New Moon" the second book and it's just as fabulous. Yep, read this one in just a few short days as well.

Also...get really excited about this...the third book, called "Eclipse" is going to be released early August. I can hardly wait for all that!

K, ready? GO! Let me know when you've started reading so I can be excited for you!