Tonight, my family arrived in Calgary. It’s time for another family wedding (no, not mine), which means the relatives from far-flung reaches of the universe come together.
Pam’s getting married on Saturday. She and Sean (aka Muck) have been together for about five years (since before I moved to Calgary, anyway), and finally decided to get engaged in late January. On Saturday, this all comes to fruition, and Darren and I get off the hook with Nana for a while longer. (Potentially longer still, if Cathy manages to get pregnant any time soon.)
Cathy, Craig, and Mom arrived on an Air Canada flight earlier today, picked up at the airport by Aunt Brenda. From there, they spent part of the day resting, and the rest shopping. (Cathy, it seems, was on a mission and dragged Mom all over Market Mall in search of jeans.) Craig slept off and on in the car. He’s a napper.
I had yoga (this being a Tuesday), so I wasn’t able to bolt over right after work. I had hoped to bring Alex with me and get her introduced to Cathy and Craig a little earlier (rather than Friday, which I fully expect to be a bit of a shock), but she had a meditation class tonight.
Despite a nasty traffic situation (namely, slow drivers in the northeast), I arrived just after 19:00, just in time for dinner. Ham and scalloped potatoes. Jen was absent, being engaged in a volleyball game. Apparently, yoga combined with a harried drive out to Whitehorn put me in a slightly hyper mood (probably also combined with seeing my family for the first time in eight months). Cathy thought I was a tad strung out.
Dinner barely finished, Uncle David and Aunt Alaine appeared at the front door. They were running solo from Darren and Ginny, and Pam and Sean (undoubtedly up to their arse in getting things ready for Saturday). This was ideal timing for the group of us to move into the living room and chat for a while. It was probably our last chance to chat as a loose family until after the wedding. I suspect Uncle Dave and Aunt Alaine will be more than a little busy for the near future.
At about 21:30, Cathy, Craig, and I packed up to go to my place. They’re staying with me tonight before they go off to Jasper tomorrow. The squeeze into my car was a little tight, but we got everything in. Once at my place, we piled their things into the house, cracked open the case of Moosehead that Craig had brought along, and started chatting. Basic topics were houses, Christmas, Alex, things to see and do in Jasper, and the highways from here to there.
It’s late, and I need my beauty sleep. Tomorrow will be another long day.
