Sometimes all you really need to recharge and refuel your personal batteries is some good ol’ time with your family. We knew that by returning to Canada we would get to visit with a lot of our family, but with my family being mostly in Quebec, and the cost of flights to cross Canada being so crazily expensive, we didn’t think we would get to see them. We were so happy to find out that by pure coincidence one of my uncles, who lives in Banff, was having his wedding at the same time we were in Canada, and much of my mom’s family would be flying from Quebec to be a part of it. And a double bonus, my sister just recently moved from Ontario to Calgary. So we got the incredible chance to visit with my side of the family too!

   My mom’s family are a crazy bunch. They are 16 kids, my mother was born the 11th, and so you can imagine once you add spouses and kids in there our family reunions gravitate towards the 100s. All related! And all partiers. Many of the aunts and uncles that flew to Banff for this wedding were the ones that were closest to my mom, in age group, and so also the ones that we as kids grew up with seeing the most. It was so incredibly nice seeing them all again. We laughed, we hung out, we drank an endless supply of wine, and we did a lot of dancing! That is one thing you can count on this family for, a good party, and once the music starts the dance floor will be packed.

   Seeing everyone filled my heart so much and made me realize how much I have missed them all, and how much I hope we get to see them in the near future again. It was also great having them meet and get to know the girls since many of them hadn’t had the chance to meet them, ridiculous, I know. I hope they all realize that if we had an infinite amount of money we would be present at every single family reunion, because those people are good for my soul.

   And an extra bonus of nights like these, is that the other set of grandparents babysat our girls and Eben and I got to dance the night away, like young pups!

getting all dressed up for the wedding was fun

My sister Renee, me, my mom Agnes, and Eben

A few of my aunts and uncles that made it to the wedding (and 1 of my cousins, center, the son of the groom)

My VERY handsome hubby

my sister and I

bride and groom’s first dance

and the party begins!
apparently I sing a lot when I dance, because most of my pictures from that night look like this!

I rocked those “hammer pants”

Next Day, my mom giving my uncle (the groom) a painting my late grandmother had made for him

cuddle time with Aunty Nene