I don’t get to see my mother as often as I would like. I live in America and she lives in Trinidad which is where I was born. We visit each other frequently, but it never seems like enough time together. With Mother’s Day around the corner I miss her so much it aches.

In an attempt to gauge just how good of a daughter I have been over the years, I sent my mum an email asking her to tell me what her “All Time Favorite” gift was. I also wanted to make sure that I was still the favorite child (my brother is also the favorite, my parents refuse to choose out loud, but I know the truth). Her response made me giddy and made me feel closer to her than I have ever felt.

My mother recently visited us in Calgary. She seems more willing to visit us now that we are on the road full time. When we had a nice comfortable house for her to stay in and a proper home base, she wasn’t so interested in visiting. Seems she may have a touch of wanderlust herself.

This is a little of what she had to say about her recent visit:

“My daughter asked me which of my gifts given by her have been my most enjoyable so far. I surprised her when I chose my trip to Calgary. You see this celebration holds special significance to me.

My trip to Calgary was better than a holy pilgrimage. I had the opportunity to visit topography of every type imaginable.  I visited the dinosaur museum and discovered that Canada was in fact inhabited by these giant creatures. I saw animals living in their natural habitat and visited the zoo where I saw domesticated hippos and trained marching penguins. 

Travelling definitely broadens horizons.  The world is out there as proof of an amazing creation. Much change is necessary in the way that we perceive life and the origin of it. Canada has examples of all of it.

From traveling through vast picturesque terrain to sampling food of wide variety and meeting down to earth local people. Calgary gave me a taste of really living.  What more can a 61 year old Rambling Mama ask for? “

Seems that my mother and I share a love of travel and experiencing the world. From now on, I can skip the flowers and candy and just take her somewhere new. We preach at The Constant Rambler that travel is what moves us and we try to share that with everyone we know.

Here are a few of the photos we took while my mom visited us in Calgary and a glimpse into why she had such an amazing adventure:

My mum loves sushi Ironically, even though she lives on an island, good sushi is hard to come by. No matter where we are when she visits, her number 1 request for a meal is always good sushi in large quantities.

Mum at Lake Louise in Banff. One of her dreams has always been to see the Rocky mountains. She not only saw the mountains, she played queen for a day and sat in the throne of the ice castle there.

 

At the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller. It’s one thing to know that dinosaurs roamed the Earth, but a whole other thing to see the remains in person. My mother’s words to me were “I knew they were big but standing next to the skeletons made me feel so small and really gave me a scale of the world back then.”

I loved the look of awe in her face every time she stopped to read a sign…and she read every single one.

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Mum missed her dogs back home. She has 3 of her own. These little ladies that we were house & dog-sitting in Calgary made her feel right at home and not so lonely. She emailed me to tell me she missed them after she left. I think they received more attention than I did on her visit.

 

The Calgary Zoo does a Penguin March in the winter once the weather is nice enough for the penguins. These emperor penguins all line up and take a stroll through the zoo at their own pace while stopping every so often to gawk at the spectators. It was a very short and sweet experience.

 

Mum and I having some German beers while awaiting our schnitzels. My mother enjoys many different cuisine and isn’t afraid to branch out of her comfort zone when it comes to good food or good beer.

 

We took mum to see the shows and dancing that is put on at the Chinese Cultural Centre in Calgary for the Lunar New Year during her visit. She probably ate her weight in steamed buns and had a great time doing so.

Instead of the usual Mother’s Day chocolates (or maybe with the same ole Mother’s Day chocolates) why not try taking your mom somewhere new? It doesn’t have to be costly.

Take her across the world or just across town. Take her to a new museum or a new sporting event. Take your mom to a new brewery or a new restaurant. Take her on a picnic at a new park. Experiences like this trip my mum had through Alberta will create memories that will live forever in her mind and in yours. Get out into the world and see it with your mother. Happy Mother’s Day to all you fabulous ladies out there that raised us to believe in ourselves and live out our dreams!

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