Happy Holidays: Gingerbread Houses

Hi friends! Can you believe it's Christmas Eve already? I sure can't!

It seems like just yesterday I was in full-on work and school mode, balancing my USO work responsibilities with writing my final papers for my Georgetown grad school courses, just counting the days 'til my winter vacation...

Anyway.

This year, I'm spending the holidays in Canmore, Alberta, Canada with my family and I couldn't be happier. Mr. Man is coming too and will be celebrating his first Canadian Christmas with us!

In preparation for this year's festivities, my niece, nephew, mum and I all sat down to put together and decorate gingerbread houses. I know I'm the biased aunt, but I think they turned out lovely!

What do you think?

It's always beautiful and magestic in the Canadian Rockies

Sometimes its hard to believe that I was born so close to paradise. The Canadian Rockies are just one of those things that never, ever gets old to see when you look outside of your car window.

This morning my mum and I decided to go on a 12 km hike up to the Plain of Six Glaciers teahouse, which is near the fantastic Lake Louise ski area.

First of all, we couldn't have asked for a more gorgeous day. It was about 65 and partly sunny -- perfect hiking weather!

In all of the years that I've visited the Canadian Rockies, I'd never been able to squeeze this hike in, so image how excited I was to finally conquer it after all of these years!

The views are simply stunning. It was so hard to not stop every five minutes to take pictures. Although the hike was slightly challenging, I would say it was more than worth the trek up the mountain-- even so, the delicious tea biscuits at the teahouse up top were incentive to keep going!

Bonus picture: A nice moonscape from my backyard. Not bad, eh?