But enough of our bland lives in Florida. Our wedding day went off without a hitch! I got a bit teary eyed during the ceremony while strong, resilient Darcy didn't shed a tear the entire day!The weather was excellent (maybe a tad hot but I didn't complain too much). My stepdad is compiling a DVD of the day with still photos and video. We have been receiving photos from friends and family as we obviously took no photos ourselves. The photos show how colorful we are were with our different attires with the lush, green backdrop. We were fortunate to have the great weather as it was literally a window of only a few days of good weather. We cleaned up the backyard the night of the wedding and it started to rain when we finished at 7:00 pm!
Our honeymoon night at the Union Bank Inn felt magical. As people said I tried to take in all that was happening. I remember sitting at our dinner table and seeing other young couples (at least two must have gotten married as there were two wedding receptions there that night) and thinking *we just got married and are now newlyweds*! It felt surreal that I was now in that exact situation but it was a nice feeling. The other couples looked about ten years younger than us but no matter. Our suite was very nice and we enjoyed using the bubble jet tub after the long day.
Despite not following protocol with traditional weddings we did have our honeymoon the day after the wedding which made it seem magical. It's strange how many couples don't do that now. We headed out in our rental car to Jasper National Park and it was a wonder trip! Although the park is only a four hour drive west from Edmonton I had never spent a day there. It was the perfect place for us and to decompress. Weather co-operated for most of the time and we squeezed in much sight-seeing. Places included Mt. Edith Cavell, Maligne Lake, Maligne Canyon, Sunwapta Falls, Athabasca Falls, Athabasca Glacier, and a gondola ride to Whistlers Mountain. Edith Cavell was breathtaking with seeing the glacial lake and hearing the dull *thunk* echo through the air as ice cracked off in the distance. It was the coldest day of our trip as the temperaure hovered around freezing. The scenery, fresh air and our cozy cabin were heavenly. Our snowcoach ride up to the Athabasca Glacier was cool. Mt. Athabasca, Mt. Andromeda, and the Snow Dome are part of the Columbia Icefield that is the largest collection of ice south of the Arctic Circle. The Snow Dome hsa three rivers that flow into three different oceans (Columbia into the Pacific, North Saskatchewan into Hudson's Bay/Atlantic and the Athabasca into the Arctic.) Sort of a tricontinental divide - I forget the scientfic term.
Climbing the 1,200 feet from the Whistlers Mountain chalet to the summit was incredible! Despite the height (8,100 feet) I was not as out of breath as trudging up the three flights of stairs to our apartment on a hot, humid day. I now know that my body shuts down in the south Florida climate. Anyway we spent just about every night in the hot tub and I also got to chop firewood a few times. We had roaring fires everynight too. It was tough to leave Jasper but we know that we'll return again for a wedding anniversary visit!
