2016 Christmas Vacation

Our 2016 Christmas vacation started off with a bit of a hiccup this year as Dan missed his flight from Abu Dhabi. He had a really busy week and made the fatal mistake of taking a nap prior to his 3:00 am flight. In the end, Dan got on a flight to NYC, then standby to Calgary via Toronto, and he arrived only 12 hours later than planned. I flew from Berlin, via Chicago, and we both arrived on the evening of the 23rd. The next few days were spent eating some great food, drinking some wonderful wines from the cellar, and spending quality time with our families. We spent Christmas Eve at Doug and Jeri Lynne’s, Christmas morning at Scott and Jenelle’s and then the rest of Christmas Day with Bev and Paige. We made sure to get a few games of crib in with Grandma Margaret, Barry, and Carole. We also met up with Kevin, Jordyn and baby Ada for a sushi lunch before they made their way back to Red Deer. We were really excited to meet our new little niece.

Dan and Pa Erickson

Rettenmier Sisters Betting on the Horses

Flapper pie dessert at Barry & Margaret’s

Barry, Bec, and Dan having some laughs

Sushi lunch with Kev, Jordyn, and Ada

After Christmas, I met up with a few close friends out in Airdrie. Kim and Megan met me for breakfast and then later Dan and I popped by for a glass of wine at The Fothergills.

Kim and Bec at Breaky

Laurie, Jen, and Bec in Airdrie

We were lucky enough to be invited to stay at Blaine and Jasmine’s beautiful cabin for New Year’s. We drove up to Panorama on the 30th and spent the next 2 days skiing, hot tubbing, and relaxing. We spent NYE up on the hill for a cheese and chocolate fondue dinner and then rang the New Year in with a champagne cheers at midnight. It was great spending some time up in the mountains. We drove back to Calgary on the 1st and Dan made a trip up to Red Deer to see Kev and Jordyn on the 2nd.

View from Blaine and Jasmine’s patio

Scott and Dan ready for a day on the slopes

Wyatt suited up

Emery and Jenelle out for a walk in Panorama

We said our last goodbyes before flying down to Phoenix on January 3rd to visit Judy and Vern for a few days at the Gold Canyon RV and Golf Resort. Dan and Vern took out the side by side one day while Judy and I did a bit of shopping. Vern even let Dan do a little driving. The second day we did a road trip along Apache Trail from Tortilla Flat to Roosevelt Dam, down to Globe and back through Queen Valley. On our last day, I met up with Jami, who was down south visiting her dad, for a hike while the others played a round of golf. Jami and I spent the morning doing a short trail hike on Silly Mountain and then we enjoyed a nice Mexican lunch before heading back to the Resort to meet up with Dan, Judy and Vern. We all then went over to Jami’s dads for cocktail hour and enjoyed catching up.

Vern’s side-by-side, Peggy

Steak dinner in Gold Canyon

Vern and Mom in Tortilla Flat

Bridge over Theodore Roosevelt Reservoir

Jami, Bec, and Dan hanging in Phoenix

Before we knew it, we were on a plane to LAX, where I was flying back to Berlin and Dan was off to Abu Dhabi. Another great holiday season spent back in Canada and the US!