Today I'm taking some time to publicly say how grateful I am for an amazing group of friends that we've had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know better over the last year. We spent a day in Banff last weekend for what is becoming an annual tradition - Cross Country Skiing on the Cascade Road and then heading into the town of Banff for the Santa Claus Parade. The difference between last year and this year though was huge! Last year we skied alone. We had dinner alone. We watched the parade alone. We spent the whole day alone as a family. And while there's nothing wrong with that, I'm kind of a people person and a tad extroverted. I'm happiest when surrounded by family AND friends. Lotsa friends! This year, we had 7 amazing families join us for the day. We skied together in small clusters, broke off into groups for dinner, and then we watched the parade and waited for Santa to arrive as a small group. Of special significance for me was that my son got to try out his little skis alongside a bunch of his other 3-year old friends and was able to watch the parade later with another child his age as they collected candy and stared in amazement at every light, sound, and action around them.
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| Preschoolers Learning to Ski - Together |
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| Waiting for Santa to arrive at the parade |
Many of the friends that joined us for the day of skiing are the same friends that camped and hiked with us all summer long, they are the friends I meet up with each week for outdoor playgroup and they are the friends we'll ski and travel with this winter.
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| Backpacking, Skiing, Camping, Paddling, Snowshoeing - We've done it all together |
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| New Friends this Year - We've gone Camping, Backpacking, Paddling, Hiking, and now Skiing together |
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| Family At the Core |
Next weekend when we make our plans to go skiing, snowshoeing, or play in the snow somewhere, I know that at least one other family will join us. I know that we will be surrounded by love and friendship all winter long. And I am grateful.
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| Camping Friends that we can now Ski with as well |
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| Our Group just Keeps Growing - New Friends are Always Joining us |
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| It's Great to see the Dads on Weekends too |
It's a blessing to have such a wonderful group of friends and to know that your child will grow up with such a fun-loving group of other children being raised in the outdoors with similar values. I know how quickly life can change, how groups can split as people move on to other things or move away to other towns, and how things change as kids get older and so I don't take a single moment for granted. Every trip together is to be celebrated and cherished.
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| Moments to be Cherished |
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| Together is Better |
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| Love My Girls |
What is your favourite activity that you like to share with friends?
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