Merry Christmas!

Well, it's finally come and gone, but the vacation is still to be enjoyed. We had a wonderful Christmas with our family - lots of food (too much food possibly) and lots of fun gifts for everyone.

I spent the week prior to Christmas battling the crowds to buy the last of my Christmas gifts and groceries. It was a relief on Saturday afternoon when I no longer had to shop.

Christmas Day was done in the traditional Stanners' style which requires a full day as each gift is lovingly unwrapped one at a time and passed around for all to admire before the next person can continue. It is a pleasant way to pass a day (even more so for those who fortify themselves with the classic orange juice and champagne beverage).

We managed to fit in some geocaching on boxing day, only to find that Andrew had recently been to the same caches. Patches chased down a porcupine on Nose Hill while we were caching but was smart enough (or lucky enough) not to end up filled with quills.

Today the last of family left (it has been a busy month for visitors, but we were glad we got to see everyone) and now we have a full 5 days left to relax before we return to work. We've got another puzzle on the go and lots of new toys to try out so it should be an enjoyable end to the holidays.

The MacDonald Family Christmas Tree Hunt

Jon and I decided since we were going to be home for the holidays that we really wanted a Christmas tree. Yesterday I went out and spent the big bucks on a tree permit ($5.30 including GST) which would allow us to collect 3 trees in the Elbow River area of Kananaskis. This morning we gathered our saw and Mairi and headed out to find the perfect tree.

Mairi and I contemplate a spruce tree but decide its not the one.

We find the perfect tree (ok, perfect for us)

Mairi cuts it down

And then carries it out for us, that's why we brought her

We load it on the car

And the finished product looks beautiful in our living room.

A side effect of the christmas tree is that we had to re-arrange our living room to fit it in. I moved all the furniture today (Jon is still not allowed to do any heavy lifting) and it sure does look different.

Back from the Bay

I recently returned from my 4 day trip to San Francisco and I loved it! I found it to be a fantastic city, a little damp and cloudy, but fantastic none the less. My favorite things about San Fran include the diagonal cross-walks and the firmness with which public transit employees tell you what you can't do ("YOU are not getting on with that apple"). I did not enjoy the number of umbrellas that I had to content with on the sidewalk.

I spent about half my time at the conference (which went well, especially the talks on glaciers) and the rest of the time exploring the city. Keeping in mind that I really only had three days to sight-see, I think I did quite well.

I visited Chinatown, the Financial District and Fisherman's Wharf in one exhausting afternoon. My travels included a lot of up and down, a failed attempt to ride the old fashioned trolley to the wharf and a wonderful visit to the Aquarium of the Bay. The aquarium was definitely one of the highlights of the day - I spent a good hour watching sharks swim above me and I've never felt so peaceful. I also saw the famous sea lions at Pier 39 and the Bay Bridge from Pier 1. I did manage to catch a trolley back to my hotel that night which was worth the wait, if a little scary.

The streets of china town.

And what is a trip to San Francisco without a trip to the Golden Gate Bridge? My last day of the trip was spent visiting this site. It was cloudy, but luckily it didn't cloud over until we got across so we did get to see the bridge in most of its glory. The best part of the walk was seeing the sea lions playing in the waves under the bridge.

The Golden Gate Bridge.

I returned to Calgary on a turbulent but otherwise uneventful flight and am looking forward to a little relaxing before the busyness of Christmas fully hits.

The full suite of photos is here. And if you want to see more photos of past trips, I've put Africa here too.

The Diva Cup

Warning men, this post contains references to woman type stuff!

About two months ago, I finally took the plunge and bought a Diva Cup. I think its the wonder product when it comes to feminine hygiene. They've been around for a while, and I can't believe I didn't catch on sooner. If you've already got one, congratulations, you already know what I'm talking about. If you've never heard about it, and you're female, or know someone who is, check it out for the nitty gritty details. I've created the following list of pros and cons to help you decide, but remember, this is just my opinion!

Pros:

1. Its only 1 oz in size. And that's all you need, month after month. Think how great it would be for travelling if that's all the space you needed to set aside for "sanitary products". No more zip-lock bags of tampons taking up half your bag.
2. For backpacking - no more packing out used products!
3. Only needs changing twice a day - no more trips to the washroom (unless you need to).
4. Environmentally friendly - no more bleach!

Cons:

1. Men think its gross, you might too.