Monday home

Because we got back from Banff late last night and then we spent some time visiting with Karla, we were up late. Once again, I didn't have a great sleep.

So we weren't in a great rush in the morning to get out the door and go home. Also Karla broke her kitchen tap on Sunday morning before church (oops) and was without a kitchen sink. Cyril was still away for 3 more days. We figured that is too long to go without a sink! So we sent Karla off to the hardware store to buy a new tap. Jeff offered to replace it for her in lieu of all the help family gave us over the weekend.

She came back with a new fixture. While Jeff took care of getting it installed, I folded blankets and packed our belongings. 

Krista arrived late in the morning. I enjoyed the extended visit with my awesome sisters until the tap was replaced.

While the tap was being fixed, Mateya took the girl cousins on a shopping trip. Fun times. Maren wanted some jeans like Mckenna so they went to a high end thrift shop near the house. Maren got a pair of new jeans. She is pretty happy. Cassandra got a pair too. She has disliked jeans until now. I guess the right pair makes all the difference. Maybe shopping for them with cousins helps too.....

Jeff finished the tap in the early afternoon. It 2 took more hardware store runs for Karla to get the necessary parts to complete the installation. The tap didn't simply fit together like we hoped. It took some adjustments and different fittings to connect it all together. 

We had lunch together, Jeff finished the install and then we loaded up Krista's car and our van, riding on the trailer, with our luggage. And we were off to southern Alberta. It was a good trip home. Relaxing for me. Maren, Savanna, and Rebekka all rode with Krista and I. Cassandra and Tysyn and Evan all rode with Jeff in the truck. I enjoyed the ride in Krista's nice car. It was nice to be taken care of for a change.

We thought it pretty funny to see a marshmallow field along the way home. Did you know they grow jumbo marshmallows in Alberta??

(Haha....they are large bales covered in white plastic. Gotcha.)

Thank you to Krista for taking us home. We arrived before Jeff and the kids in the truck. We unloaded our stuff from her car. Krista planned to just turn around and head back to Calgary. I was pleased to be able to send a bag of green beans from Hardy's garden, back for Mom Moxley. 

When Jeff arrived home with the van a short time later, Brandon off loaded the van from the trailer over by Sherwood's house. He was the one to drive it off the trailer. It took a little doing to get it off without incident.

They started with just ties under the ramp but ended up needing more length. 

Rebekka and Tysyn watching safely from the side. 

Taking it off carefully. 

Making sure it doesn't fall off the blocks. 

When it was off, Brandon parked it in our driveway. Once it was parked, we were able to start taking out things and unpacking our camping gear. I didn't unload much because it was getting late. I'll do more tomorrow.

I'm ready for bed!!! After a week away, I'm glad for my own bed.

We had a great week camping. Some of the events weren't so fun (van breakdown) but it was totally memorable. We loved being with Grandma, cousins, aunts, uncles, siblings and siblingsinlaws.  

Thank you again to my awesome family for the fun camping week and for everything they did for us through our van misadventure.

I'm grateful I can always count on them for help.

Another Moxley family camp in the books!

Sunday

It was a leisurely morning for everyone at Karla's. I was glad to sleep in. I needed some rest.

Maren left Banff yesterday with Sherilyn and ended staying the night at Leishman's house. 

After breakfast, the children were sent to the bath to get cleaned up before church. They were all so dirty after a week of camping.  Karla did the little girls hair. It looked darling. Everyone of my family ended up borrowing clothes for church. I hadn't expected to stay in Calgary for church so we didn't have any Sunday clothes with us. Good thing there was cousins everyone's age. We looked ok with what we ended up with. Haha.

The kids and I, along with Karla and her kids, attended church with Sherilyn and Jay at 1pm. Jeff was coming from Raymond today. He was bringing the truck with mom's trailer. He arrived at 3:30pm, just as we were going to the adult and youth joint meeting. The kids were so glad to see daddy after a week away!

After meetings, the family headed back to Karla's. Everyone changed out of their borrowed clothes. I made a lunch quick and then Jeff and I left in the truck. The kids stayed at Karla's. Mom and Krista came down to help Karla out. 

Before leaving Calgary and heading to Banff, we stopped at Westhills shopping center to pick up Dad Moxley. We need his skills and expertise on loading the van into the trailer. 

The drive to Banff was long but good. A smoky haze hovered over the skies. In some places we couldn't even see the mountains. We need rain to put out the fires!

The van was right where we left it in the church parking lot. We considered parking the trailer in the lot to load but instead we found a spot across the street that would work. The van was able to drive out of the lot and across the intersection to the trailer. I was so grateful that the town was relatively quiet for a Sunday evening. 

Dad backed the van onto the trailer. It took lots and lots of adjusting to get it on. There was really only 1/4" wiggle room on each side of the trailer due to the wheel covers and running boards on the van. At the start, Dad almost had it up but then the hitch got caught on the trailer deck. He had to bring it off and dad and Jeff used wood pieces from the back of the truck to jack up the van to load. Dad finally got it on. Then they had to adjust all the straps and chains needed to secure the van to the trailer. I sat on the sidewalk watching, taking pictures and helping where needed.

The Banff LDS branch church building is kitty-corner across the street and under the trees. The van was parked overnight in the lot behind it. 

Dad realigning the van.

Almost up. 

Loading. 

Not going to clear. 

Up it goes!

Almost on now. The boards they put under the front tires snapped but did the trick. 


It's on! Now to put it far enough in. 


Getting the wheels right. 

Daddy, my superhero!!

Figuring out where to put the straps. 

Ramps up!

Working on securing the back straps. 

Again I was grateful that dad was with us. He knew exactly what to do. After the load was secure, we all stopped for a bathroom break at the hotel around corner. As we pulled away, the van came with us riding backward. I'm sure it looked a little funny.

Dad had Jeff drive only to the town gates before stopping. Then they both got out to readjust and check that the straps were still tight. Once it was good and they were satisfied, we began the drive home to Calgary. Again we stopped at Canmore. To check the chains and be sure it was still firm on the trailer. After that it was smooth driving all the way back.

I was grateful for the timing of our mission. When we returned to Calgary it was dark and the roads were quiet. It made the travel peaceful. We stopped again at Westhills to drop dad at his van. I am SO GRATEFUL, so very grateful that he was able to come with us. His knowlege and experience saved us hours of time. Jeff and I alone would have had a miserable time trying to load the van by ourselves. His help was invaluable. I came home happy and in peace. Because we were right by a gas station, we decided to fill the truck with gas at lower prices. We nearly pulled away from the pump but decided to get gas in the van tank too. We could siphon it out at home in Raymond and be able to save on the price at the pump.

It was a late night drive back to Karla's. Jeff didn't want anyone messing with the truck or trailer so we parked at the Esso right under the lamp light. Once we had all we needed and everything was secure, we walked together down the quiet street to the Miguel's. It was a beautiful night. We passed a big empty space on the street. Upon considering the two parking locations, Jeff came to the house, dropped off his stuff and then went back to move the truck to the street parking closer to the house. 

At the house, Karla had Rebekka, who was awake. She was wanting mom or dad. Cassandra was also awake. It was now really late and time for all to be in bed!!!!

I am extremely grateful for safety of this day!!

For those family members who loved and supported us. I'm grateful that we had all the things in place so we could bring the van back without it costing us more than gas. I'm grateful for the tender mercies and love of our Heavenly Father. I'm grateful for a warm bed after a long day.

Day 6

It's pack up day. Time to go home. The holiday is over. 

After waking up, I immediately left the tent and headed to the bathroom. It's the first thing I do in the mornings. The distance to the bathroom and the effort it takes to get there, is the only thing that doesn't appeal to me about sleeping in a tent. I am grateful we were camped close to the washroom facilities.

When I got back to the tent, I quietly began folding up my blankets and bedroll. Sleeping in a tent requires more than just sleeping bags. Seriously. 

Cassandra and Maren are still asleep in this picture below. You can barely see Cassandra's head way over in the right corner of the tent. She is wearing a turquoise hoodie. Maren is completely under her blanket behind Rebekka. 

I folded blankets and rolled sleeping bags as the kids woke. I was pulling blankets nearly out from under them to get it done. Haha. The children had their breakfast of cold cereal while I worked.

The tenting site. Karla orange, Kim green, Sherilyn red, Krista & Mom blue. Not a tree in sight!

Justin and Heather's trailer spot. 

Once everything was stacked in neat piles, I started hauling all the bedding to the van. The kids helped carry their luggage and other things we had in the tent. We finally cleared the tent and had everything from it loaded into the van. Then we took out the piles and let down the tent. It was so dusty. So dirty. Cassandra used her skills to sweep it off. I helped her fold it as she went and then we put it away. Thanks girlie!!

I was grateful to be spared pukey kids in the night. My siblings; not so much.

After the van was all packed up including lawn chairs and scooters, I gathered my toiletries and headed for the shower. I learned from the last camp cleanup to shower AFTER after the work is done. It feels good to be clean.

I was one of the first families ready to go. Woot woot.

When everyone had all their vehicles ready to go, we left Golden in convoy and drove to Takakkaw Falls. Just outside Golden we saw a semi that had been on fire.

And the van had difficulty. It was a crazy drive. At the turn off for the falls, the road got steep and windy. I was nervous for the van. Then we came to a huge switchback!! There was a sharp turn that was too much for my long van. I had to do a 5 point turn just to get around the corner. It was a long drive to the falls. I had anxiety about the van's capability the whole way there.

Everyone got out at the falls. We enjoyed a leisurely hike up to the base of the falls. They were awesome. So powerful.

Leisurely family hike/stroll to the falls. 


The splendour of the falls.

Evan loved being around Cullen. He was glad when he got to hold Cullen. 

On the rocks feeling the spray from the falls. 

Maren and Mateya walking back with Brock. 

It was so crazy to see the water cascade over the top of the mountain above us and hear it thunder to the bottom. We could feel the spray in the air and everything was covered in a fine cool mist. It was cool and refreshing. We climbed a massive rock to sit right over the river and under the spray. Took pictures and then headed back to the van.

Throwing rocks into the river. Tysyn Evan Savanna

Kim and Savanna. No it is not going to rain, I'm protecting myself from sunburn!!

All the family left in their vehicles and we met up at the bottom parking lot where Justin had to leave his trailer, for lunch. Justin and Heather reattached their trailer then left. They planned to feed their kids on the way. I was a little sad. I wanted to convoy with them. I was still worried that the van was going to have troubles on the way home.

After eating and saying our goodbyes, the kids and I headed home while the rest went with Jason and Stephanie to Emerald Lake.

Because the van was worriesone for me, I drove a ways back to Field for gas. I wanted a full fuel tank before heading home through the mountains. After filling, the van almost didn't start. I had a niggling fear at the pit of my stomach that we were going to have a difficult trip home. We also stopped for bathroom breaks before leaving. The kids liked the gas station gift shop. But there was NO buying, just looking, much to the dismay of many.

I loaded everyone in the van. We had a prayer and then started for home. The van was going Ok for a bit, then it had a mechanical temper tantrum. We ended going 30km up 90km hills. We had vehicles and big semis passing us as we puttered along. Embarrassing!!! And nerve wracking!! The girls and I sang primary songs and church hymns to calm our worries. I was so grateful for the slow construction zone we went through on the way in.

We called Jeff along the way and talked to him about the van issues. The van was definitely having engine issues and was not good. I was fortunate to get as far as the Banff area. Jeff thought that I should travel as far as I could. I hung up just before the first Banff exit and it seemed to be working better. Yay! So I passed the Banff townsite exit and thought to try for Canmore. Just as I was about to pass the second Banff turnoff/exit, the van got really crazy. I ditched my plans to head to Canmore and pulled off at the second Banff turnoff and headed back into the Banff townsite. We limped to the Banff church parking lot. I felt that it was the safest, most logical place to go. I did not want to be stuck on the side of a major busy highway in 30+ degree weather with no shade.

A busy highway + 6 kids bored = dangerous waiting.

I was so, so grateful we made it to Banff.

I was also glad I made it to the church parking lot. There I felt safe and protected. We had shade and safety. The kids got out and played near the little creek that runs by the church. (The mosquitos were terrible.) They brought me bouquets of flowers to make me happy. (Until I told them to stop picking the flowers.)

Enjoying the beauty despite the crappy circumstances. 

One of the kids picture of the creek. 

Evan found a 4 leaf clover. 

While they explored and played on the scooters, I stayed in the van to notify family of our crisis. It took forever for Jeff to arrange what to do. He decided to come in the morning. (He had lots that he was trying to get done before the end of the day.) The rest of the family was still at Emerald lake and was out of cell service. I had contact with a Heather and Justin.

We were stuck in Banff for several hours. Many had to find a bathroom. I made the big mistake to drive to find a bathroom. It was super busy in downtown Banff. I couldn't find parking. We finally stopped at the Whyte museum. They were closing the doors just as we got there. The lady was kind enough to let us in to let us use the washroom facilities. So nice. Thank you!!!!!

A big totem pole outside the museum. 

Two blocks after leaving the museum and heading back to the church, the van stalled in  a downtown intersection. It was super busy with people waiting to cross at all four corners and cars in all lanes of the intersection. I was so embarrassed but there was nothing I could do. So I yelled out the window for help. I was hoping I could get some help to push it out of the way. Fortunately some nice guys pushed it through and around the corner. Once through, while it was in neutral, I tried the ignition and it started. Yay. I drove back to the church parking lot. That was it. The van was done. I wasn't going anywhere else in it!!!!

Finally I was able to connect with the rest of the family through text as they came out of the mountains and into cell service. The arrived in Banff and came to the parking lot.

Because it was suppertime, Karla and Sherilyn and Krista left to go get supper from a local restaurant. We ended up having supper in the parking lot between the vehicles.

While we were waiting for the food, the kids were making Inuksuk with the rocks.

Handing out the food

Everyone has something to eat. 

Picnic in the lot. 


It was really fun despite the crappy situation.

Krista made arrangements for James and Emma to each bring a car from Calgary. James brought mom's and Emma brought theirs.

We planned to leave the van in the lot at the church, and then Sunday afternoon, Jeff and I would come back to get the van.

Because all the other families vehicles were full, the two cars would provide enough space to bring us back.

After eating, I gathered things I would need from the van. I took the cooler and gathered clothing and things to stay the rest of the weekend without the vehicle.

I hated to leave the vehicle but I couldn't do anything about it. I also called the Banff Branch President to notify them my van was stuck in lot. I didn't want it towed away!

After stashing all the things I needed in Krista's car, we all headed home to Calgary.

Krista and I went together and took Holton, Evan and Tysyn with us.

Maren went with Sherilyn.

Mom took Cassandra, Savanna and Rebekka in her car that had been brought to Banff. She had been riding with Krista. 

Emma and James took the car that Krista had been camping in and went home.

Mom and Krista both came to Karla's in their vehicles to drop everyone off.

The sun was covered by smoky skies. Pretty but smoky.

We often call Tysyn- "Tysyn Bison" because it rhymes. On our trip home we saw several of these transport trucks. The three boys in the back had so much fun being silly about the rhyme. I tried to get a picture of the side of the semi trailer. It says Bison Transport. 

Silly, silly boys!! Holton, Evan , Tysyn

Laughing so hard. 

Love those smiles!

Before getting to Karla's, we stopped at mom's so Krista could give me some clothes to wear for church the next day. Then we drove down to south Calgary. 

It was a relief to finally get back to Karla's. It was a long day and delay.

I am so thankful for the love and support and help from family this day. I love them for their patience and help and service. They have all been so caring. My family rocks!

I am grateful that I had a place to stay. We didn't plan to stay the weekend but it will be nice to be with cousins as sisters just a little longer!!

After the car was unloaded, I set up beds for the kids and I in Karla's basement. Then we organized clothes for the kids for Sunday. The kids also had a before bed snack.

My cute kiddos. 

A good quote for the day. 

Once the kids were asleep and I talked to Jeff to hear and establish plans, I went to sleep.