America Day!

Since my last blog, Summer has been in full swing here in Illinois!  Everything has opened back up here at the Towers, Andee has the weekends off, and the weather has been 'HHH' (Hazy, Hot & Humid) just the way I like it!!  Andee and I have enjoyed many a day sitting by the pool and going for a dip, taking paddle boats and canoes out on the lake, long walks on beautiful summer evenings, fishing galore, and excursions to popular suburbs hot spots in the area!  Summer really is the best, don't you think?  Let's elaborate with the help of some photos!

A couple weekends ago, Andee and I headed to a local arcade to use up some gift cards we had been given!  We played some of our favourites such as flamin' finger and of course the claw machines, and ended up with some fun toys for Aloe as our prize!

We then headed to Downtown Naperville, a very historic and beautiful area filled with specialty shops and restaurants, and a beautiful River Walk with tons of interesting artistic statues and memorials.  It was on the cooler side of summer days, which made it perfect for a long walk with the Husband!  We treated ourselves to Taco Bell for dinner, and it was great to spend some time with Andee!

This past week we were also able to participate in our first 4th of July Independence Day celebrations in America!  Shockingly, Andee was given the day off, and so we were able to enjoy the celebrations together! Our first stop was a local parade with some Harvest friends which included a beautiful float promoting Vacation Bible School Kids Camp coming up next week!  We then headed out to lunch at a cute little breakfast place down the street, and were completely comfortable in our summer clothes in the shade!  Success!  

Andee and I then headed back to our apartment where we spent the afternoon boating and fishing!  We took out a paddle boat and enjoyed the beautiful sunny day fishing and paddling away!  Unfortunately, only the little fish were hungry, but at least we enjoyed the boat! We ended the day with a Blue Jays baseball game and a beautiful fireworks display that could be seen from our window!  An excellent first 4th of July holiday!  Happy Birthday America!

This past weekend Andee and I were also able to spend some time at the pool!  With three pools now open at our apartment complex, there is always lots of room to swim and lounge in the pool chairs!  And the very hot and humid day only added to the pool fun!!

We then headed over to the boathouse to take out a canoe!  I had forgotten that canoes are really tippy, but got the hang of it pretty soon!  After a couple hours of boating and fishing, as we were beginning to think that all the fish got swept away in the flood and found a new home in somebody elses lake, Andee catches this guy!  A big bass!  So now we know that at least some of them are still here!  We concluded the day with a long, warm summer walk around the nature trails at our apartment!  Amazing summer weekend!!

I was also surprised this week with a visit from Naomi!  Such good news!!  After visiting her parents in Texas, Naomi and kiddos flew back to Illinois for a couple days on the way back to Canada so they could have a visit with Joey, and while Joey was at work, I got to spend the day with them!  We headed over to a coffee shop called "Cafe and Play", where half the space was a coffee shop, and the other half a huge play area for kids!  Such a good idea!  So while the kids were playing away, Naomi and I had a great time catching up and getting excited about her return to Canada!  Such a nice surprise to see Naomi one more time before she heads home, and I hope to see her again soon!

So, as I am typing this, I just realized that it is only 8 days until I fly home to Canada for a mini-vacation!  What a long way I have come - from counting down 86 days in advance to arriving back in Canada to shockingly realizing that a Canadian vacation is a mere 8 days away!  God really is so good - taking this fearful, stagnant believer and changing my heart to finally be accepting of His perfect plan - and actually enjoying it too!  PTL!!  I am of course extremely excited to see my family and spend some time in the home country!  I'm planning on getting the full Canadian experience when I am back - Dental Hygiene shifts, free doctor appointments, cottage with the family - the works!  I am also extremely excited to be flying home on a direct flight straight to Toronto!  Canada, see you soon!!