Visiting Edmonton

Travelling together in AUS

So a couple weeks ago I decided to surprise my best friend Elizabeth Wallace in Edmonton. She is expecting and is due in August and I was hoping to catch her one last time before her life changes forever!!! (Then hopefully visit again when the little newborn is a couple months old!) Elizabeth and I met at Capernwray in New Zealand and I'm not even sure how our friendship developed - but I would say after two weeks I knew she would be the one I would have the hardest saying bye to.

Travelling together in NZ

My wedding

We have been SO blessed by each other's friendship. Blessed to be in each other's wedding parties, blessed from each other's spiritual support. Blessed by having been able to see each other a total of 7 times since we left New Zealand 3 1/2 years ago!! Anyway, I wasn't sure if this surprise thing would be a good idea - and I definitely didn't want to be the reason baby Wallace came out premie - but I planned it with her husband Andrew anyway and we went for it! My friends, Russ and Nicole, came up from Calgary and picked me up at the airport and we hid in the kitchen until Andrew and Elizabeth came home! I popped up from behind the counter and greeted her with a "Has anyone seen the compost?" Her reaction was hilarious! Granted, it was midnight friday night and she was pretty tired and frustrated that Andrew wasn't telling her what was going on. We stayed up until 2 am talking and catching up!

Walking to the Greenhouse

Picnic on the River

The next day we went for a walk around the neighbourhood to a little greenhouse. And then in the afternoon we went into the city and had a picnic lunch overlooking the river and played frisbee on the parliament grounds. We weren't the only ones there. There were LOTS of weddings!! And gay pride friends hanging out! We went out for dinner and drinks (the latter, which Elizabeth had non of - of course!) and then said goodbye to Russ and Nicole, and we hung out with some of E and A's friends for the night. In the morning we went to church and then E and I dyed her hair. Monday was a chilly rainy day and we lit the fire in the house and played a game of Monopoly.

Nicole, Elizabeth, Me. In the Park at the Parliament grounds 

After Elizabeth went to work, my good friend Jaryn picked me up and we had some snacks and caught up at Boston pizza, and then before I knew it - she was driving away from the airport and I was ready to hop on the short flight home. All in all, it was a perfect weekend! We spent just enough time adventuring and just enough time relaxing. E and I got to see each other in person again - which was really refreshing after a skype-majority relationship the past couple months.

Can't wait to see them again and finally meet baby Wallace!!!