Ahhhh, Edmonton in the wintertime. Luckily we had some good friends and family to soften the blow of -30 degree temperatures.

Laura and I after a few beers, and a tequila or two.

Your friendly protaganists.

We managed to hit Deadmonton in time for Mike's birthday. Him and Bree put us up in their pad.

We managed to hit Deadmonton in time for Mike's birthday. He and Bree put us up in their sweet pad. You can see Demon their dog at the bottom (what an attention hound!).

Mmmmm... Tequila!

Mmmmm... Tequila!

Gag! Tequila...

Bleargh!!! Ugh... Tequila...

Ham and Demon. They're both actually lap dogs.

Ham and Demon. They're both actually lap dogs.

Laura learned how to play a beat on Mike's new electronic kit.

Laura learned how to play a beat on Mike's new electronic kit. Boom-chicka-boom!

We stayed with Laura's grandma for a couple of nights as well. It was a pleasure for me to finally meet her.

We stayed with Laura's grandma for a couple of nights as well. It was a pleasure for me to finally meet her.

The last thing we did, literally an hour before hopping the Greyhound for Grande Prairie, is meet our friend Emily for lunch. As you can see from the thumb's up, she's doing really well.

The last thing we did, literally an hour before hopping the Greyhound for Grande Prairie, is meet our friend Emily for lunch. As you can see from the thumb's up, she's doing really well. Nice toque, eh.

Yup. Seems like we covered most of our bases in Alberta’s capital city. We’re now about 5 hours north, in a place I tend to think of as the other armpit of Alberta (second only to Ft. McMurray): Grande Prairie!

Our Greyhound ride was mostly uneventful, with only one drunk redneck getting out of hand. Luckily she waited until the last hour of the ride to start being obnoxious.

GP has been on record during the past two weeks as the coldest city in the province, with daytime highs of -32 celsius (that’s -25F for our American friends). Of course, Laura and I are bringing the warmth with us, and things are supposedly going to get back around the 0 mark soon. Woo-hoo for zero!

We’ll have some more friends and family pics and updates on here in the next couple of weeks, so if you’re eager for some actual travel photos and info, you’ll have to wait until we’re actually traveling. After a few days up here with my sister and her family, we’ll be swinging south to B.C.’s interior to see my parents for a bit before heading out to Vancouver to visit mutual friends. We fly from Van to London January 28. And for those of you who have been asking us if we are getting excited, the answer is finally “yes.” Most of our obligations are wrapping up, and we are starting to feel the anticipation. Check back soon!