Update #13 - Tea House Climb

Our eyes opened with excitement before the sun was even up and before long our backpacks were stocked and we were dressed. We quietly kissed the kids good-bye while they slept knowing they were in the safe hands of their grandparents. As we drove towards the Rockies the sun rose behind us slowly revealing the rugged ranges before us. We chatted with anticipation at the day that lay ahead of us. The Tea House Climb had been one we had both wanted to do but were unable to as it was too difficult for the children... and here we were driving towards Lake Louise about to live a small dream. Looking out the window our eyes feasted on the many changing colours of the trees, the odd bit of snow melting and even an elk.
Our arrival was a stark difference to our previous visit to Lake Louise. Being early in the morning, only a few cars scattered the car park. As I stepped out the car, I was hit by the crisp cool air and quickly added another layer of clothes.

And so began our journey....
From the lake you could not see the tea house as it was tucked away up in the ranges only accessible by foot, horseback and in emergencies, helicopters. The journey, although only 3.4km to the top was a tiring one as it only seemed to go up in a steep sort of way. As you walked, you kept hoping that it might just for a moment change gradiant but this was not to be! Despite our puffing and panting (well actually I think that was just me - Howard's fitness is much better than mine since he's been riding to work and back) we continued to talk. Being the only ones on that path and being in bear territory we had to keep the conversation going. A great way to get couples to talk! We finally caught a glimpse of the teahouse (see photo 2 - Look very closely just to the right of the waterfall) as the trees began to clear. Along the way we stopped at "Mirror Lake"(photo 4) which is at the base of the "Beehive" (photo 3). Another kilometer or so and we ahhhed at the waterfall (but could only capture a tinee bit of it on film) and then climbed many a stair and finally the little house stood before us.
Discovering it was not open yet (nothing seems to open in Canada before 10am!) we happily sat on the lake's edge and caught our breath. 

Finally a chap in dreadlocks who looked like he hadn't bathed in days appeared on the balcony and asked if we'd like to order. He was a backpacker from Australia who had been there for the past four weeks. They stay in the cabin and literally earn their bread and butter. We had a good laugh with him and he was very excited to hear a bunch of Aussies. The tea was served in an enamel teapot with a cracked stained old coffee cup. The cake, a bit stale but it all added to the atmosphere. Although, I don't think the two Japanese tourists to the left of me quite had the same sentiments. The decent was a lot easier than the ascent although a bit rough on the legs. We often passed a couple or two and the question was always the same, "(puffing and panting) Is it far to go?" Except one guy had us in stitches with, "Is there (puff) a (pant) doctor (puff) up there? (pant)" He then smiled.
By the time we returned to Lake Louise, it was swarming with tour buses and people. We walked towards the car, our experience almost a dream - although my aching legs reminded me otherwise! It had been a wonderful day.
I've decided to keep our other happenings till next update as I really wanted to be able to share the joy of just that one precious day.
God bless you.
With love,
Howard and Shona Eban.

Update #12 - Folks Arrive

Well this week weather wise has really been like living in Melbourne on steroids! We've gone from the children being amazed that they can make steam come out of their mouths while walking to school all rugged up, to being in shorts and t-shirts, to having rain bucketing down and of course we can't make it through the week without windburn as well! :)
The week has been filled with routine stuff but the highlight by far was the arrival of Howard's parents, Eion and Rosa from Australia. I wished I had captured the moment on film. There were hugs and kisses and more hugs and "I've missed you sooooo much" and more hugs and kisses and boy did my kids talk their poor grandparents' ears off!!! This morning I had to use all my mummy power to keep them out of their grandparents room but eventually I gave in. All you could hear was chatter chatter chatter giggle giggle chatter chatter. Let's hope the novelty wears off or else their grandparents might wear out before their stay is over!


Other news this week is that the kids had the Terry Fox run and we were very proud that both Laura and Nathan managed to run nine laps in the given time. We even had a "Jack Rabbit" join in the run (see photo two). He's often seen hopping about on school property. The jack rabbits are unique in that they turn white in the winter time so I'll have to see if I can snap him again in the colder months for you.
Well it's a short one this week as I have some lovely people I need to be with and Daniel was full of "quotes" this week, so I'll leave you with them.
All our love,
The Eban Clan.
Danny's Quotable Quotes

"Is this how big a stick would be if it was a toddler?"

"I need a healthy breakfast. Is this cereal low in sugar and high in fibre?"

"My hands are sticky. Good thing I'm not driving."

"They call tissues Kleenex's here. Is that cause they make your nose clean?"

Update #11 - School

Dear friends,
Well we survived our first week of school and in the process learned many a thing. When you make a mistake while writing, you must ask for the eraser NOT the rubber and if you need to visit the little room down the hall (toilet) you ask to go to the washrooms. School is also very different as it is all in one building. As you can see from the photos it has a series of halls with rooms attached. Apart from the playground every room is within that buildiing - toilets, I mean washrooms, the library, office and even the gym. The kids eat their lunch in the gym and if it's too cold to go outside (that would be colder than - 20'c!!!) they play in the gym. Oh, and if they want to come home for lunch they can. You have indoor and outdoor shoes which you are constantly changing in and out of and coats are a must. Otherwise, school is pretty much the same. The kids are settling in and even starting to make friends, although I think it will still take awhile to fully adjust. We love the weekends and Saturday (today) is always an adventure somewhere. Today we rugged up and did the Fenland Trail which is in Banff. A fen is like a wetland area and we were suppose to see elk but Danny was in a very happy mood and kept bursting into song! He wasn't too preturbed as we had seen deer on our way to Banff (photo 3 - they're the tiny dots by the lake!) and aren't elk just like deer anyway mum?


The weather is cooling down a bit more each day and the snow is no longer a light icing on the Rockies, but more of a coating. I was sooo cold on the walk today and we haven't even reached zero degrees yet! Oh boy, oh boy!
I'll leave you with some funny quotes of the week. Otherwise, hope you are all well and thank you for your emails.
Love from your adventuring friends,
Howard, Shona, Laura, Nathan and Daniel Eban.

Quotable Quotes for the week

Nathan: We learned all about the Terry Fox Run today but I don't know what his name was. It's about a man who had cancer and ran across Canada but then he died!

Laura: It's very different in Canada mum - my friend eats Toadfood (tofu). Why would anyone like food made from toads?

Nathan: Oh look! What's that?
Mum: A cow.
Nathan: Is it a wild cow?
Mum: No, just a regular cow.
Nathan: (disappointed) Oh.

Update #10 - Spray Lakes

Dear friends,Today we left our house, backpacks in tow, for Laura and Nathan's first day of school (see first photo). Nath was so excited and would have been there before the teachers had even arrived if I had let him. :) We set out by foot and it almost seemed surreal that we were off to school. There were no uniforms and no school traffic - didn't feel like a school day at all! Yet as I waved them good-bye at their classes it hit me. My heart sank and I prayed that they wouldn't feel as nervous as I felt for them. I remember sitting at my desk as a nine year old on the first day in a new school in a new country looking around the class wondering if any of these faces would one day be a friend.
The day has slowly moved along. I have quickly discovered that I do not play "goodies and baddies" as well as Nathan and when it comes to "plans" in the backyard my creativity is no match for Laura's. Daniel just shakes his head and says, "Can we go get them from school yet?" It's going to be a long day!

On Satuday we visited Kananaskis (another part of the Rocky Mountains). I can't say I enjoyed it as much as previous trips as Howard decided to take the gravel road and there comes a time in the drive when "Ten Green Bottles" is no longer enjoyable to sing!!! However, the highlights along the way made it worthwhile. We spotted a mother and baby moose (see second photo) in a clearing. At first we thought they were horses but on closer examination realised they were definitely moose. You will also notice that the mountains look as though they have been sprinkled with icing sugar - yes the cold is on its way. 
Later we found a lovely spot to picnic (third photo) and as we were munching on our sandwiches realised we were not alone (fourth photo). We're still trying to find out whether they were gophers or ground squirrels or something else. They had Nathan in stitches and Laura would have loved to have shrunk and become their new friend. As for Daniel, he thought the game was to try to catch them as they popped up out of their holes!
Speaking of that little bundle of energy - he requires a lego buddy to construct with... now that I can do (well I think so anyway!).

With love from your friends in Canada,
Howard, Shona, Laura, Nathan and Daniel.

Update #9 - Heritage Park

Dear friends,
Today is dark and overcast with the chill of winter on the way. You would never have guessed that yesterday was such a beautiful sunny day - but then that's Calgary and what's expected when you're living at the foot of a mountain range.
You'll see from the first photo that we found yet another amazing part of God's creation - Johnston Canyon (situated just north of Banff). I could have sent you a dozen more photos from that day - it took all my strength to hold me back!!! The photo attached is of the lower falls and if you look at the bottom right hand corner of the photo you will see that you had to walk through a little cave to finally stand in the spray of the falls. We ventured to the upper falls and were very proud of our kids who made the 5.4km walk on their own legs. Once again the walk was full of breath taking views and the kids enjoyed the walk as much as we did. It was only Daniel who we had to hold a cookie in front of every now and then to keep his little legs moving!
Yesterday, I took the kids to Heritage Park which is an historical village set about a century ago. From a teachers point of view, it was a wonderful hands on teaching experience. The children had vast amount of experiences ranging from attending school, to being put in jail, having to do washing, pump their own water, learn how to make butter and see how newspapers were printed. They talked to a variety of people who were "playing the role" and found out amazing things like;
bankers were allowed to shoot dead anyone who attempted to rob the bank
mounties (police) were not allowed to be married for their first five years of work
female teachers were not allowed to be married and were not allowed to leave the town without permission from the community
boys and girls were not allowed to play together at school
Nathan decided he was very happy that he lived in the century we live in, but I think I could have left Laura there for another week. She was so in role and I'm sure she thought she was either Laura from House on the Praire or Anne of Green Gables. The apple does not fall far from the tree! :)
It looks like we'll be stuck indoors today - still don't have the appropriate winter gear to venture out on a day like today. Problem is we keep adventuring on the days that we should be shopping for essentials.
Hope this finds you all well.
Your friends,
Howard, Shona, Laura, Nathan and Daniel

Update #8 - Drumheller

Dear friends,
Howard had today (Friday) off of work and so we ventured out to the "Badlands" of Alberta (see first photo). Having little geological background, my mind was curious as to how it acquired such a name. In years gone by it had been a coal mining town, so maybe I presumed, it had developed a reputation for a rougher element.... you know... the big, the bad and the ugly. However, after googling it I discovered "badlands" actually refer to a type of arid terrain which have been extensively eroded by wind and water leaving canyons and other such geological forms. DAH!
Our primary objective in visiting the area was to see the Tyrrell Dinosaur Museum. Can't say I was hugely excited by the thought, but the boys certainly were. I mean, when in one's life do you get to climb up the tallest dinosaur in the world!?! (see second photo) and look at bones and fossils and what more can I say?!?!
Actually, I must say it was an amazing exhibit and I even learned something! Did you know there is a dinosaur called the Albertosaurus? Obviously it is found here in Alberta (see third photo) AND it is a smaller relative of the Tyrannosaurus. So there you go.
As we drove home, we passed canola field after wheat field after canola field after wheat field after canola field...It was pretty at first but we soon grew tired of the scenery. Laura popped up with, "It should be called the boringlands not the badlands!" which made us all giggle. At one stage, we pulled over and let the children have a close up look at the wheat (see fourth photo) . As adults we forget how fascinating it can be to discover something like a wheat plant. The kids were engrossed and Nathan exclaimed, "So that's why Weetbix is called wheat bix!". Ahhh, another life lesson and another wonderful day.
With love your venturing friends,
The Ebans.
P.S. Once again just to make you feel better, we never ventured out last weekend as Howard had a heavy cold. It's not all bliss here. :)

Update #7 - Lake Louise

Lake  Louise

Dear friends,
I'm under strict instruction from many of the males out there (including my husband) not to make this email all dreamy and "skipping through the meadows" like the last email so it's all facts and no mush. :)
At 7:00 hours the Eban family packed their supplies and drove for two and a half hours to Lake Louise. Lake Louise was named after Princess Louise, fourth daughter of Queen Victoria. Hence, the glaciers above it are referred to as the Victoria Glaciers.  

From observation, one will note that the water of the lake is almost emerald in colour. This is due to the rock flour being carried into the lake by "melt-water" from the glaciers that overlook the lake. Although the views were breathtaking, the lake was swamped with tourists which took away from the natural beauty. Hussle and bussle mixed with nature don't usually go hand in hand.
Our return drive was on an alternative route which was very scenic. We stopped to do the odd small walk which was nice as the tourist species was no where to be seen. Wildlife spotted included a coyote, two deer and a chipmunk. The children were most disappointed that we did not encounter a bear. Their mother on the other hand was quite relieved. We've drilled them all in what to do if we encounter one as it is known for bears in that area. Last week a lady was actually attacked by one just near where we were walking. (A little unnerving as a mother!) The chances are rather remote as it is recommended when walking to make a bit of noise to scare the bears ahead off. 

My three do that with out even being asked to! Howard thinks he might buy some bear spray anyway just in case. At least you don't have to worry about snakes. :)
We returned home at 18:00 hours quite exhausted but very content.
Here ends Eban Update #7. hee hee
Your friends,
Howard, Shona, Laura, Nathan and Daniel Eban.

Just to make all of you feel better out there, I would like to make a note....
Despite our delightful weekend adventures, Monday to Friday is jam packed with office work, cleaning, washing, mowing, grocery shopping, dishes, settling sibling disputes and other boring tasks. :)

Update #6 - Banff

"I lift up my eyes to the hills...."

This past weekend we took a day trip to Banff which is a little ski village in the Rockies. We did the touristy thing and took a gondola up the mountains (well Sulphur Mountain to be precise). Breathtaking just doesn't begin to describe the awesome views. Psalm 121 kept playing in my head and I stood astounded by the majesty of the mountains that surrounded me... huge chiselled rocks with their story woven in their layers and the dark brooding clouds covering them like a blanket.
From the top of the gondola ride you continued to walk along a path to the top of the mountain. The air was crisp and the view spectacular, the children excited but almost subdued by the beauty that surrounded them. It was one of those moments which is so perfect and you wrap it up and store it away in your heart because you just want to cherish it forever.
It is when you stand admist such beauty that you realise truly how big and how awesome is our God. Your worries fade away and you almost feel the arms of God holding you.
As you can tell we had a FANTASTIC day. We spotted mountain goats and the kids just loved the ground squirrels. There was one particular squirrel (see photo attached) who was an absolute character and had the kids in stitches with all his antics. They could have watched him for hours.
Following Sulphur Mountain we returned to Banff for lunch and then went for a walk along the Bow River (see pictures attached). It quickly changes from serene, crystal clear waters to a fast flowing river with rapids! Boy did I keep an eye on Danny!!! Once we returned to the serene waters, I could relax a little and watch as Laura collected wild flowers and the boys threw sticks into the river and ran alongside the banks following them. 
Just as our day was coming to an end, Daniel of course had to fall into the river. Please remember that the water flowing is from the melting snow, so you can imagine the expression he had upon his face when it occurred! Of course he was not happy and kept declaring that it was not his fault, but the fault of the river bank which just broke! I on the other hand had to try to contain myself from laughing hysterically as life sometimes can teach us so much about the importance of listening to one's mother!!!
Well that's another week from us. Hope we didn't make you too jealous. :)
Love from your adventuring friends,
The Ebans.

Update #5

Well another week or so have gone by and we're starting to settle in. We've actually made some friends which is rather nice! Now we don't feel so isolated. It's amazing the difference a bit of company makes. Be challenged all you out there. If you come across someone new to the country or to the state, have them over for a cuppa or a pizza or meet them in a local park. Your hand of friendship might be the thing that gets them through another week.
Now that I've had a DMC (deep and meaningful conversation), I'll give you a quick run down of our past week.
The boys have been building an amazing lego bulldozer with their daddy and I don't know whose been having more fun - Howard or the boys!!! They have waited with eager anticipation for Howard to return from work each day and then it's straight to work on the construction.
We made homemade strawberry jam and then of course some scones with fresh cream.... ahhh a taste of home. I even made a cup of tea. Miss your scones Debs!
On Saturday, Howard's work had a BBQ at Calaway Park which is an amuzement park. The kids had a ball to say the least. Laura went on the rollercoaster six times and Daniel was most disappointed that he was not tall enough to ride(see photos attached). Danny went on any ride which would have him. There was one which he could only go on with an adult and I said to him as I was strapping him in, "Are you sure you want to go on this; it's very fast and scary?" His reply was, "Ohhh yes!"
Nathan on the other hand did a thorough risk analysis of each ride to decide whether the thrill was worth the risk. He decided the ride Daniel went on was way too fast and the seatbelts did not look safe enough. We all wanted to go on the flume log ride as a family and it took much convincing. He finallly decided he could do it if he wore his raincoat and sat in a particular spot on the boat (after studying the returning boats, he worked out those at the very front and the very back got the wettest). Guess who enjoyed the ride the most after all that? Yes, it was the analyst himself! We even had to do it again.
We have such a lovely variety of children in our household. :) Life never gets boring.
Well that's about it - Howard's enjoying his work, although it is rather challenging, we think we have found a home church and we're also starting to make some friendships AND I'm staying on the right side of the road literally!
Your friends in Calgary,
Howard, Shona, Laura, Nathan and Daniel

Update #4 - Calgary Stampede - Yeehaa!

Calgary Stampede

Howdee there partners,

Okay, that was a bit tacky, but that's all you'll hear from anyone if you are anywhere near the Stampede. There are cowboy hats, big buckles, a lot of yeehaaing and the smell of horses all around. We managed to make it to the Parade in the city (Howard could only stay for a little while - had to work) and it was amazing. Two hours of cowboys, indians, big bands, more cowboys, more indians, fancy floats, mounted police ohh, and Daniel's most favourite; the poo machines that cleaned up after the horses.
Then this week, I ventured into the Stampede grounds by myself with three children in tow (took a bus and a train to get there) - very proud of myself - didn't even get lost!!! We had an absolute blast. We rode the ferris wheel and one or two other rides, ate fairy floss, milked pretend cows, rode pretend horses, saw real cows, horses, pigs and even some that had cowboys on them bucking!, met real indians and walked inside their teepees and ate with them around a fire, had a photo with some Mounties (mounted police) and watched the Superdogs (Dogs doing tricks basically). 

The only downside was that when we left we were in t-shirt and shorts and by the afternoon it was down to about 4' C and we were freezing!!! Fifteen minutes after we arrived home it rained hail literally. The hail was the size of frozen peas and it ended up being about 2 inches thick! Laura and Daniel put on anything they could find that was remotely warm and ventured out to build icemen. When they tried to get Nathan out there, he replied, "Are you crazy! Do you realise that stuff is actually ice? It will be freezing!" Sometimes, he just too much of a thinker. 

The other two had soooo much fun and played until they literally turned purple and I had to bring them inside for a warm bath to defrost them. Because Calgary is at the foot of the Rockies, the weather can change in an instant. A little old lady on the bus told me, "Layers; you have to be able to peel off or put on at anytime." It's going to take a little getting used to. :)
I've attached a pile of photos. I especially like the one of the old mountie (put that one in especially for you dad - thought you'd get a giggle out of it.) The last photo is of the machine that cleaned up after the horses...totally fascinated the boys!
Sorry to saturated your systems with so many photos, but after all we are talking about the Stampede! I couldn't have you miss out.
Hope it gives you a little taste of the fun we had.
God bless.
With love,
The Eban Clan
(Howard, Shona, Laura, Nathan and Daniel.)

Update #3

Hey friends,
The past ten days in Canada have not been the easiest, but things are getting better.
In quick summary, Nathan started to improve from his ear/throat infections and then was hit with a gastro bug.  Of course Laura had to join soon after but fortunately, Daniel did not deem it necessary to follow suit.  

We were unable to move into our house on the day assigned and were also unable to remain in our apartment as it had already been booked, so we moved to another apartment, only to find out that we could now move into our house.  Problem is, I came down with the flu (despite having the flu shot!).  So Howard moved the ten suitcases, groceries accumulated, three kids and one sick wife to our new house only to realise we were missing many essentials like plates, kettle (and pretty much all other small appliances), sheets for the beds, towels etc.  So I was left half dead on the couch, while the kids had a ball running around their new house, all the while their daddy was shopping for household goods.  Some of the choices would not have been mine, but all in all he did a good job.

Daniel turned four the next day and due to mummy still being flat out on the couch with the flu, daddy bought a "donut cake" (donuts in a box with candles stuck into them!).  He thought it was great.  We were supposed to go to the zoo the previous Saturday for his birthday, but that was the day his brother was throwing up!  So all in all, I think he missed out, but we will definitely make it up to him.

Well, the past couple days have been much brighter.  The "Stampede" is in town so we all put on our cowboy hats and watched the parade which was just fantastic (I'll send photos when our computer arrives).  I'm not a real western fan, but it was something else.  Daniel's favourite thing was the "poo machines" as he called them, that followed the horses and cleaned up after them.  Laura loved the flag dancers and has been in the backyard ever since twirling our broom above her head.  She's not too bad at it, apart from one rather painful head injury!   We'll take the kids to the showgrounds this week.  Calgary has been swamped by cowboys (real and the wanna bees) and even genuine indians.  Nath took it all in quietly as he does and when I asked him if he enjoyed himself, he replied, "Yes, it was great,but why did I have to wear a cowboy hat when I'm not actually a cowboy?"  He's such a thinker.  I have to try not to giggle.

Well my friends, that is our little update.  Hope you are all doing well.
God bless.

Love from Howard, Shona, Laura, Nathan and Daniel

Update #2 - The first day

I hadn't planned on emailing daily, just to reassure you all.  However, just for some laughs, I thought I'd share day two in Canada....
It all began at about 12midnight when Daniel awoke and asked why it was dark when it was already morning.  Before I had a chance to explain, Laura was up complaining that Nathan's coughing and snoring was keeping her up.  (They're all sharing a room).  Four hours later and we finally had them back to sleep.  We crashed into bed and the next thing I know Howard was yelling, "Oh no!  nnnoooooooo!!!"  It was 10am and he was late for his first day of work.  Ten minutes later and he returned with a ghost like look on his face.  Our car had been inpounded (Loooong story!)  At that point Nath walked in as white as a sheet and nearly past out.  He was in tears and in pain and shooting a temp.  To cut a long story short, Howard did not go to work but went on a grand adventure with Laura and Daniel in tow to retrieve our car, while I went on my own adventure with Nathan and one of Howard's work collegues wife to explore the Health system in Canada (which by the way is not too bad).  Nathan has two ear infections and an infection of the throat.  The doctor said he would have had a pounding headache and gave us two courses of antibiotics (not the norm apparently) because he was concerned that I might not find a drug store (chemist) and wanted him to start them straight away.
It is presently 10pm, the kids are still lying wide awake in bed as the sun is as bright as they are.  However, we are blessed.  We have our car, Nath is hopefully on his way to recovery and we still have smiles on our faces.  Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers.
Love from your adventuring friends, the Ebans.

Update #1 - We made it!

Hello dear friends,
Well we made it FINALLY.  I'd like to say it was all smooth sailing but alas it was not.  Now that I can look back at it and laugh, it doesn't seem all that bad and what's more it makes for a great story.... and you all know how I love a good story!
So the story begins....
Our plane to Canada was delayed due to strikes at the Domestic terminal.  When we arrived in LA we were told that because we were late we could not transfer our bags onto the conveyor and would need to take them across the airport (a good 15mins walk) to book them in.  This might not sound that bad, but Daniel was about the only one in the family who had managed to sleep on the plane and it was now 1:30am Brisbane time,  LA airport is bussling and we had 10 suitcases to move a fair distance at a quick pace if we were to make our flight.  The kids were real champs.  Laura pushed a trolley (nearly took out half a dozen people!) the whole way.  We finally arrived puffed only to find out we were too late and after standing in line for who knows how long, they eventually booked us on another flight in seven hours!  Every time we went through a check point, Daniel would ask,"Are we in Canada now?" 
We found a little corner and Laura slept on a row of chairs and Nathan slept under the chairs.  Daniel of course had slept and was full of life, so Howard and myself took turns sleeping and watching Mr Energy.  Just when we thought that we had made it through the seven hours, they announced that the plane had been delayed another two hours. We finally made it to Canada but then got stuck in immigration with a rather straight faced officer who wanted to know what was ssooooo special about Howard that required him to move his whole family to Canada and why their engineers couldn't do the job!  At this point Daniel pipes up with, "This isn't Canada, is it Mummy?"  I gently tried to tell him that it was, but he replied, "This can't be Canada."  The stern faced man just looked at him emotionless.   Well we eventually got through customs and finally made it to our accommodation at 2am Canadian Time.  We had been travelling for 32hours!!!
It had been ten hours since we last ate so Howard decided to go for a quick walk to see if he could find some food.  To cut a long story short, someone tried to sell him crack, he got lost and he got stuck in the sister building for 45 mins.  He returned rather frazzled with some pizza and commented that maybe we should have waited till morning.  To say we crashed is an understatement but it describes how we slept.... oh yeah, I forgot to tell you.... we slept in the wrong unit.... but that's another story.   The unmade beds should have been a clue but we were so tired we didn't really notice.
It's been a lovely first day in Canada.  We've had lots of fun exploring, freaking out on the roads and trying new foods.  It was rather strange putting the kids to bed at 7:30pm in bright sunlight.  It is presently 9:30pm and looks like it is lunch time.  Jet lag is confusing enough as it is without new sun habits to get used to.  Oh, it's going to be such a big adventure!
Oh while i remember,
Our address (in 9 days time) which is where we will live for the year is....

628 - 25 Ave  NE
Calgary  AB   T2E 1Y5
Canada

Hope you are all well.  God bless.
Love from your friends the adventuring Ebans (Howard, Shona, Laura, Nathan and Daniel)