hermitonthehill's Journal [entries|friends|calendar] hermitonthehill [ userinfo | livejournal userinfo ] [ calendar | livejournal calendar ]

IT'S ALREADY 2009???! [01 Jan 2009|01:38pm] I can barely believe that its been a full year since I was back in Chester! I was quite naive last year at this time, and truly believed that I would be all settled and sorted by May "at the latest" Well after Iain got his residency in November, and now that we have our own apartment, I can honestly say that we are FINALLY settled into our new life here in Jasper! Many times throughout 2008, I questioned ever leaving Chester, and ever leaving Toronto! But I've come to realize that I am truly happiest in a place after I have moved away from it. I miss all of our friends and family in the UK and in Ontario, however, I am very excited to be starting a new life together, and we are both finally starting to feel at home and settled here in the mountains. I am really looking forward to showing off our new home to you all at some point in 2009! To ring in the New Year, Iain and I escaped off the island, and snuck away just the two of us down to our sister property in Banff. We dined in their Bavarian restaurant, The Waldhaus, and were lucky enough to be seated at the best seat in the house, with a view out to the golf course, and gentle drifting snow fall. We were also upgraded to a really nice suite on one of the upper floors of the main part of the hotel. Above is the view from our room. The entire property is amazing, truly a 'castle in the rockies'. The drive down through the Ice Fields was a bit hairy, but on the way home we were treated to a stunning, crisp, sunny winters day. Below is a photo of the 'weeping wall' and a photo of Sunwapta falls half frozen. post comment

Feliz Navidad [24 Dec 2008|01:19pm] Christmas came early this year! 2 weeks ago our roommate moved into a flat of her own! Although we parted on amicable terms, I can not express in words how absolutely wonderful it is for us to have a place of our own! We are starting to turn our wee flat here in Jasper into a lovely home. To celebrate on Christmas Eve we invited a few of our nearest and dearest for a proper holiday feast with all of the trimmings! We even managed to make our own homemade eggnog! We had a wonderful time celebrating with our fellow orphans. On Christmas day Iain and I had a quiet meal at home together, and curled up snuggley to watch Edward Scissorhands. It is terribly hard being away from our families around the holidays, but it was really lovely to get to begin making some traditions of our own. post comment

On the 90th day of Christmas, my True Love Gave to me.... [16 Dec 2008|12:57pm] 2008 was the 20th Anniversary of the Jasper Park Lodge's Christmas in November. Thats right... NOVEMBER. The day after Halloween the Christmas Carol's began, the lights were switched on, and the entire Lodge was draped in garland. As you can imagine, it is a great relief that we are FINALLY approaching the "Festival of Christmas". This holiday season we were treated to not one, but TWO staff Christmas party's. It was great having a reason to get all dolled up with my fellow lodgies! They even treated us to steak! It odiously did not come close to making up for not being 'home for the holidays', but it definitely softened the blow! Below are some photies of some of the beautiful people I have the pleasure to work with: Jan who is my partner in conciergeland Adam who I had the pleasure to work with in Tours Some hotty they have recently hired in Royal Service.... and the vivacious Shirley Gauvin! post comment

The First Snow of the Season [07 Dec 2008|08:55pm] This is the first time in my life where I have woken up to snow and been excited about it. Our first snow here in Jasper was close to 6" in 48 hours, and as you can see from these photos it was absolutely stunning. Each season here in the Rockies is as stunning as the next, and winter has certainly not been a disappointment! I just love the way the forest looks when all of the trees are heavy with snow. I left for work early and snapped these lovely pics on my way in. post comment

Autumn Reflections [19 Nov 2008|08:42pm] One of the many perks of my new position as concierge is that I get first dibs on babysitting and dog sitting. What a sweet gig! This week we were lucky enough to dog sit a lovely beagle named Boz. Having grown up with a beagle it was really wonderful to get to spend the day trying to wear him out so his mum and dad could have a bit of peace on their little getaway. Iain joined us on a fabulous autumn days walk over to Lake Annette. The sun was shining, and the wind was calm. One wonderful thing about Jasper in the fall is that you can watch winter creep down from the mountain peaks, and here into the valley. We have had an unseasonably warm autumn here in Jasper, but you can really smell winter in the air. Spending the day with Boz really made Iain and I crave a puppy of our own. We are hopeful that now that we are working, we will be able to save up some money for a place of our own, and if everything goes as planned, we will have a wee pup of our own by this time next year. post comment

AT LAST!!!! [07 Nov 2008|08:15pm] To celebrate Iain's triumphant return to Canada as a landed resident, we held a belated Thanksgiving feast. The duck was moist, the cheesecake pumpkiny, and the company was unbeatable! I cannot begin to express the immense relief of finally having that chapter of our lives closed for good! Being the control freak that I am, it was quite a stress for me sitting around waiting idly for a decision to be made. Needless to say we are both ecstatic! Iain has already been offered a position here at Jasper Park Lodge, and we are both really looking forward to settling into normalcy here in Jasper Town. In a turn of AMAZING timing, our roommate has also been offered a place of her own, and so, after many years of living like students, we are able to settle in to our own apartment to live like a married couple! We are truly both over the moon! post comment

Something Is Missing... [31 Oct 2008|11:35pm] Halloween is my most favorite holiday and I cannot stress enough how much I was looking forward to a spending it back here in Canada after 2 years abroad. Unfortunately, without my better half, I just could not bring myself to dress up this year. I actually volunteered to work late. NEXT YEAR!!! I have missed Iain more than ever this time away, and I really hope that this is the last time we are forced apart! In his absence, we decided to hold the first (hopefully of many) girly nights here at JPL. We had all of my favorite ladies here in attendance, but unfortunately only managed one photo with our only gate crasher! Adam counts as one of the girls anywhoo! post comment

While the Cat is Away! [29 Oct 2008|08:13pm] I have been lucky enough to take up a new position here at the lodge. After the tour season ended, I decided to make a change from Front Desk to Concierge. It truly is my dream job. I love the opportunity to get to spend more time with our guests, and unlike my time on the Front Desk, now I am dealing with HAPPY people! My lovely new co-workers Jan and Lorraine treated me out to a wonderful evening of wine, delicious food, and fabulous female interaction. It has been a while since I have got dressed up for a fancy feminine night out, and it has truly brightened my spirits and helped me through the hard time I have been having alone again on the Island. post comment

My First Thanksgiving (not so) Alone [14 Oct 2008|11:11pm] Can you believe the size of the bloody turkey?! I was given a warm invitation to spend Thanksgiving night with Jenna and Naz. They have quickly become two of my favorite people here at the lodge, after spending the entire summer sharing a cubicle together in the back office. Jenna's stud of a boyfriend cooked us this crazy gigantic turkey! I have to admit I was quite down trodden sans la husband, but I was soon brought around by the amazing company and wonderful food. PS... WE MISS YOU ANDY!!!! WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO VISIT US BACK IN JASPER TOWN??! post comment

DECISION MADE [12 Oct 2008|03:54pm] FINALLY! After all this waiting!!!! My application to sponsor Iain as a permanent resident has been approved!!!! We could not be more excited! The only catch is that he is having to go back to the Uk for a few weeks in order to get his passport stamped with the proper visa. After all of this waiting we can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. He flew out the day before Thanksgiving, so we decided to take a leisurely drive down the Icefields Parkway, making a stop at Sunwapta Falls, and spending a night in Lake Louise, before continuing on to spend a night in the Palliser in Calgary. It was a fantastic little getaway from the everyday! I have worked really hard this summer, so it was a real treat. It was so lovely to get to put my feet up for a few nights, and enjoy the company of my husband, and to take advantage of one of the amazing perks working for Fairmont. We had an amazing room in Lake Louise with a view of the spectacular Victoria Glacier. For dinner had gooey cheese fondue in their posh restaurant Walister Stube. We also made a stop of at Lac Morraine, famous for being on the back of the old Canadian $20. It was really quite depressing saying good-bye in an airport AGAIN. And the ride home by myself was one of the worst experiences of my lifetime, but it is so wonderful knowing that this will be that last time. FOR REAL THIS TIME! This is the final piece in the puzzle for us to finally get on with starting our life together out here, and neither of us could be more excited! post comment

Rutting Season!!! [28 Sep 2008|03:37pm] Well its that time of the year: The aspens are glowing bright gold, and the mountains are capped with snow. We have had a wonderfully mild Autumn here in Jasper, even though many areas higher up in the mountains have had a bit of snow. The Elk have started their rut, and so we have many huge bulls on property bugeling rounding up big groups of females for their harems. Its a truly beautiful time of the year. Here is a photo that Iain took from out bedroom window of a bull elk lounging with his harem. post comment

A Visit From Home [14 Sep 2008|03:22pm] Jonathon was the first person I met when I moved to Toronto, and I ended up living with him and his Scotties for 2 years. We have remained friends throughout all these years and I was really pleased to have him come for a visit this year. I have been missing Ontario quite a lot, so it was wonderful to have a visit from such a dear friend. Jonathon and Beixii drove all the way from Toronto to Jasper, and back again! They were accompanied on their epic journey from my old boy friend McTavish (a wee over the hill Scottie). It was so wonderful to see them all. On top of everything, we were blessed with wonderful weather the entire time they were here. It was really nice to get to catch up with old friends. Unfortunately I had to work quite a bit while they were here, and so Iain showed them a lot of the attractions in the area. Doris also joined Beixi and Iain for a lovely day on the Tramway! post comment

Adam's B-day!!! [03 Sep 2008|03:17pm] These photo's were just to cute not to post!!!! Adam was lovely enough to invite Iain and I out with his mummy to the Moose's Nook for a night of good drink, good company, and steak the size of a mans head! On the way home Iain and I were treated to a romantic mountain sunset, complete with a waxing half moon rising over Edith Cavell. post comment

ALL or NOTHING [20 Aug 2008|05:17pm] Well as you can see I have FINALLY done the updating on the blog that I have been promising for weeks. Finally you can see what the hell Iain and I have been up to all summer. I have spent the past 4 hours toiling away on the computer, and I truly think the end result is worth it! I know I have said it before, but I will truly endeavor to keep things up to date weekly, to avoid future backlogs... I hope that everyone is enjoying their summer as much as we are. Miss you all to bits! Be sure to drop us a line! xoxoxoxoxo post comment

Camping In Jasper [13 Aug 2008|05:00pm] Iain and I decided to take advantage of the lovely weather and go camping for the first time in Jasper. We headed south on the highway and ended up settling in at Kerkeslin for the evening. The campground, although close to the highway, was very secluded, and our site had a wonderful view of Mount Kerkeslin. We also had a path from our site that led directly to the thundering Athabasca River. This site was only a few miles south of the waterfalls and the river current was tremendous. It was MUCH to cold for a dip. Although it wasn't the nicest camp site we have visited, it was really lovely to be living in a cloth house again, if only for a night. Next time we are planning on hiking in to a more secluded site. post comment

Summer Time.... and the living is easy.... [06 Aug 2008|04:44pm] The past few weeks in Jasper have been incredibly sunny and warm. We took full advantage of this on my days off by going on a lovely canoe ride on Lac Beauvert. It was so wonderful to be back in a canoe. We were also blessed by a visit from 2 loons. Loons are life partners, and the male was serenading his mate with a haunting song as we paddled by. It was amazing! After our lovely boat ride we decided to head to the beach. The glacial fed lakes here are normally too cold to swim, but with the weather being so extremely hot, the temperature is wonderfully refreshing. Truly one of the best swimming I have ever had. post comment

Back to Civilization [30 Jul 2008|04:58pm] Now that we have the freedom to travel, we decided to test out our new wheels and take a trip to the city. Edmonton is the capital of Alberta, and at 400km away is the closest city to us here in Jasper. I didn't really realize how bush wacked I had become until 4pm came around and we were driving threw rush hour in the big city. I was white knuckled on the steering wheel until we finally found our destination. We received a few funny looks as the valet wedged himself into the driver seat of our farm beater at the lovely hotel Macdonald! It was wonderful to get out of the park for a wee holiday. We got dressed up fancy and had a lovely meal at the restaurant there. The following day we wandered around the West Edmonton Mall and watched Dark Night on the Imax screen. A wonderful getaway from the everyday! post comment

A Visit from Mum and Karl [09 Jul 2008|04:15pm] We got our first visitors to Jasper this week! Mum and Karl drove all the way from Ontario to stock up our apartment with goodies I haven't seen for years and all of our camping gear. It was so wonderful to get to see them both, and to spend so much time catching up. My first day off we went for a dip in Miette Hot Springs. They are the hottest springs in all of the rockies, and also the most secluded. It was a wonderful drive deep into the mountains. We even saw a bear on the way home. The following day, we took a drive down to Athabasca falls. They are absolutely stunning. Although they are only 23m high, the force and amount of water that runs over them is breathtaking. After our trip to the falls we visited the Jasper Tramway. I was still suffering with a horrible cold, so we weren't able to hike to the top, but at a heigh of 2277m the view was still stunning. We could see all the way to Mt. Robsin in British Columbia, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies. On their final night at Jasper Park Lodge, we were joined by my friend Georgie on the patio at the lodge for nibbles and drinks. It was really wonderful having them here for a visit, and we are truly looking forward to having them out again in the near future. It also made me realise how iscolated we are here in Jasper. We have been missing both of our families an awful lot! post comment

Thai Send Off [24 Jun 2008|03:09pm] This weekend we said good-bye to a group of my favorite people here at JPL. All of our Thai exchange students will be heading home. They all lived with me in H cabin, and I really enjoyed the time we got to spend together. I will miss them dearly. To celebrate the end of their time here, they threw us a wonderful party, including fantastic food, entertainment, and beautiful Thai dancing. It was a very magical evening. post comment

Where have you been?! [24 Jun 2008|01:37pm] Well Im quite ashamed of myself. Its been over a month since I have updated my blog. I have been working crazy long hours in front of a computer, and at the end of it all, my eyes can't bare any more computer time! To make things worse I dont even have my own computer! Anywhoo I have my husband here now, and am wanting for little! I have spent the past 2 hours uploading photos to post on here, and hopefully in the next few days I will have updates for you! Love you and miss you all tonnes! Sarahxxx 1 comment|post comment

navigation [ viewing | most recent entries ] [ go | earlier ]