Packing

We arrived in Black Diamond just outside of Calgary late this afternoon. The girls are great travellers but the DVD player really does help!! Thanks Kelly. Barbie and the Diamond Castle and 12 Dancing Princesses have never been such a relief. We have spent the evening catching up with Mike's family, Trish, Bob and Joan. Tomorrow we're off to stay with Bruce and Emma for a couple of days before heading up to the mountains.

Packing for this trip ended up being way too easy physically and way too hard mentally. The girls now being 5 and 3 don't require much beyond changes of clothes and a few toys. Last summer when I was thinking about doing this trip I was imagining all of the gear that would be required. That is one of the reasons that we ended up buying the van. Now the van is kind of like a thorn in my side. It really isn't needed and stands as a reminder to what we don't have.

My youngest child now resides in a place that doesn't require strollers, car seats, and diapers. She no longer needs bottles, formula and a playpen. We didn't have to do any extra stops to "feed the baby" or "change a diaper". Instead our 13 hour ride was quiet for the most part besides the "How much longer?" I'd love to say that it felt great but it didn't. The tears fell as we left the city. Our family trip is definitely missing someone.

Missing you Georgie,

Love to you all,

Kristen