Luna de Miel

Will and I didn't really plan a "honeymoon". With kids just BARELY starting school, and so much work for him to finish, we weren't even sure we would be able to spend even one night away.

THANKFULLY, we have AWESOME family members on both sides, so with a LOT of co-ordinating, we sent seven kids in different directions, and Will and I were able to take a mini-vacation.

My sister, Marci, helped me out of the wedding dress and into my surprise for Will. Now, before you get too curious, I have never been a lingerie-wearing girl. But, Sin shopped with me and we actually found something I knew Will would like that I could handle. So, here I am, my sister and sister-in-law having a permanently engraved image of me in lingerie in their heads. And they didn't even laugh! True sisterly love right there!

Will and I left Calgary REALLY late, after going to dinner with my family at a restaurant that took FOR-E-VER.

(checking the photos at the restaurant while we waited an HOUR for food!)

Given-- it may have seemed a LOT longer to Will and I than it did to the others. Funny how that worked! lol

(I think it was at this point that everyone at the front door SAW those pretty underthings!... I was glad we shut the door quickly to avoid any further embarrassment. For not being a virgin on her wedding night, I sure felt sheepish saying goodbye to everyone anyways!)

We drove an hour and a half to Red Deer, AB. The armpit heart of the midwest, right? ;) Right. Checked into the hotel that Will had booked...
It was AWESOME!!

A beautiful room with a jacuzzi bath. And believe me-- after a day in a corset, spanx and blue stripper shoes, a hot bath spoke entrancing words to me!

While I started my bath, Will also got his "surprise" together. NO, it wasn't this:

althoooooough......... :) kidding.

In fact, it was super cute. He had bought my fave chocolate, complete with fresh strawberries, and bought wine glasses. Then he filled the glasses with my favourite wine.

TOO cute.
(yes, they're wine-gums)

And that's that.
At this time, I would like to officially remove my name from the CBF file. To all those remaining-- my love and deepest sympathies! ;) Dad, stop reading now.
Lemme just say, girlfriends-- I slept really well that night! lol

The next morning, we ran a bunch of little errands (returning tuxes because Monday was a holiday), checking out and in to another hotel, getting lost downtown with all the stupid one-way roads.. regular stuff. Red Deer was where I was born, so I took him out to my old house, where we ate burgers and laid on the hill outside, looking at the sky and watching the kids on the playground.

And then I took Will to see my last family member. With all my siblings able to be at our wedding, there was only one more sibling Will hadn't met.

So, we went to the cemetery, and he 'met' my older brother, Steven, where we left a bouquet of the wedding flowers so he, too, could be part of our day.

(haha, this photo makes me laugh, because Will was all, "uh, am I supposed to smile? Or look sad?" So instead, he looks in pain! lol)

We went to the movies, we ate steak and lobster dinner, we took midday ..uh... naps. It was AWESOME being without kids for a few days, and no responsibilities or worries, and no one phoned us (except the realtor to tell us the house was sold, so we excused that one!;) ) . It was super fun shopping together, dressing each other up in outfits, and just being US.

Although we had to come home and clean houses and get back to the grind, the few days away were wonderful.