Happy Canada Day!!

Happy Canada Day to all my fellow Canadians!  To celebrate, Andee and I are watching Blue Jays baseball with their red Canada Day jerseys, and I am writing a blog about our recent trip back home.  Weren't we just in Canada?  That's right, we were!  Just six weeks after our first Canada visit of the year to celebrate Cassie and Trevor's Wedding, we packed up the cat and the car and headed back home for another week!  This time, though, the weather was much warmer, and we were able to enjoy some of our favourite outdoor activities that can only occur in the Great White North!  Or I suppose it's the Great Green North in the Summer.....

We started out the journey with yet another terrible car ride with Vera, followed by a sleepless night at the hotel because someone (hint: she's covered in fur) kept attacking our feet, meowing, and snuggling against our faces all night.  Running on less than an hour of sleep, we continued for another day of driving, which proved to be just as terrible as the day before.  This prompted me to write myself a reminder in my phone to get some kitty sedatives from the vet when we got back to Iowa, as well as a few other, *ahem* less helpful ideas.  We headed straight up to my parent's cottage for a little time 'up North' with family!  In total, we spent four days up at the cottage, and were able to do all most all of our favourite cottage things!  We went swimming in the lake, ate at slices and scoops for our pizza and Kawartha Dairy fix, and were able to spend lots of time with our family!  Although it is a lot different then when we were growing up, I still love the cottage!

You may be asking, wait a second, you forgot one very important cottage staple in that list - fishing!  Or maybe you weren't thinking that at all, but let's just go with it.  This particular topic requires an explanation.....

'The sea was angry that day my friend.'  Andee and Trevor headed out on a warm June evening just before sundown, the first day of bass season, to try and catch them a monster.  After drifting from their favourite fishing spot only to be edged out by another boat, they grumpily headed to a different location to try again.  After a few tries, Andee cast out and felt a nibble on his line.  He started reeling in, anticipating what was on the other end, when all of the sudden, something happened.  Andee's line started spinning out, and their little paddle boat was being pulled by the sheer force.  Something huge was on the end of the line.  Andee fought the beast for a number of minutes, but shortly after he felt the fish let go.  Disappointing, Andee reeled in the line - to find a surprise on the end.  A substantial size bass was on the end.  Fairly standard for that time of year.  Except that this bass had a giant 4.5 inch bite mark on it's side.  Whatever had let go just minutes before was actually using the large bass as bait.  Such a fish in this lake could only be the elusive Muskey.  The fish that got away.....
* the bass made it by the way, he is now just the toughest looking bass on the block with that scar!

...But there is more to this story.  Excited and jacked up at the prospect of Muskie around them, Trevor changed his lure to the his newest Rapala lure to test it out.  After just a couple casts, something hit - likely another bass.  As Trevor is reeling in this fish, something happens again.  Trevor's line spins out just like Andee's had only a few minutes before.  They can only imagine - it's another muskie!  As Trevor starts to reel this one in, they are determined not to lose this one.  At this point, however, they realize that they have come quite unprepared.  Since they were fishing primarily for bass, they had neglected to bring a net.  They were also in a small paddle boat.  After failing to flag down the nearby boat for the use of their net, the fish was getting closer and closer to their boat.  They had to act quickly.  When the fish was almost to the boat, Trevor yells out to Andee, 'put on the gloves!', referring to the cut-resistant gloves that Trevor had just acquired for their fishing trip.  These gloves are worn by Millwrights to protect their hands from machinery and workplace accidents, so they were legit.  With the gloves on and the fish in sight, Andee tries his best to get the monster onto the boat without the use of a net.  However, with the line wrapped around the fish close to the gills, there was no safe way for Andee to pick it up from the water.  Their suspicions from the beginning were confirmed - this was a muskie!  Known as the fish of 10,000 casts, this elusive fish is quite rare to catch.  There was no way they were about to lost this fish.  So, as a last ditch effort to bring the fish aboard, Andee trusted the cut-resistant gloves, grabbed the fish by the mouth, and brought it onto the boat.  The men had won this round!  In their boat was a monster muskie - the catch of a lifetime!  The muskie was 32 inches long, 14 inches in girth, and estimated at about 15 pounds.  How did our boys feel about this catch?  As stated by Andee and Trevor, 'Best night of fishing Ever!'

Wondering about Andee's fingers?  The muskie's razor sharp crocodile teeth were able to cut through the cut resistant gloves, and the fish punctured Andee's thumb when he brought it in the boat.  Was it worth it?  From the bleeding hand and mouth of the angler, a resounding 'Yes!'  As evidence of their endevor, the bloody 'cut-resistant' glove from the ordeal.  Can I get a 'not guilty?!

We did actually do some other things that didn't involve the lake and fishing this week.  Although, a whole week of cottage the the lake would be pretty great!  The Aldridge family visited one of our favourite nature trails, Lynde Shores, to feed the animals!  We fed saw squirrels, chipmunks, Canada geese, ducks, and lots of birds!  A beautiful, sunny June day in Ajax!

We also tried out a crazy milkshake and ice cream place in Oshawa called Hollywood Cones.  To put it in perspective, my milkshake was topped with two nutella-filled donuts, and Cassie's Reece Peanut Butter cups and cookies!  Dave and Arielle also joined us for the experience!  The shakes proved to be disgustingly delicious!

We also celebrated Father's Day with both the Aldridge and the Luke Families, as well as visiting my grandparents to celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary!  We visited the chip truck on multiple occasions with Cassie and Trevor, and enjoyed some delicious Dim Sum with Carol and Bill, as well as lots of other delicious 'Canadian' cuisine!  So many wonderful things to celebrate with our families and friends!

And let's not forget Miss Vera!  Aside from the horrible car rides there and back, Vera quite enjoyed being both a cottage and a house cat, especially now that we have an upgraded bed (as opposed to a single person futon for the two of us) and an upgraded room (to fit the bed!)  She warmed up to Cassie, Trevor and my Mom pretty quickly, and eventually warmed up to 'the big, scary man' (Dad).  Many a snuggle was had in Canada!

Canada Round Two!  Always a treat to be in Canada in the summer, and spend some time at the cottage and enjoying the beautiful outdoors.  Until next time, Canada!

Spring and Summer in Iowa!

Since we returned home from Canada after Cassie and Trevor's wedding, a lot has gone on here in Iowa!  With the weather quickly transitioning from Winter straight into a balmy Spring and early Summer, we have enjoyed the great weather and great friends here in Iowa!  Here's a look at some of my favourite parts of the last couple months! 

As you know, I have had a blast serving on Worship Team for the past couple years here at PLC.  What you may not know (or you might, probably you already know) is that Andee has recently joined me on the weekends to sing on the team!  With the business of Residency, this young Doctor decided that he wanted to do something that brought him some joy in the midst of all the work.  And he has done a phenomenal job of jumping in and representing Christ through singing some beautiful harmonies!  And the best part is that we get to do it together!

Another favourite that I just love to talk about is our sweet girl, Vera!  Since the last time I wrote, Miss Vera has grown quite a bit, and has almost doubled her little kitten size!  Sometimes though, she forgets that she has grown; and the results are hilarious!  Our little girl loves to hang out on Andee's shoulders when he comes home from work, and prefers to sleep on the top cabinets of our kitchen.  However, with Vera's newfound chubbiness, she is now unable to make it to her favourite spot on top of the cabinets, and has had to settle for a lesser, more spacious spot.  It's hysterical to her try to squeeze in.  Poor kitty.  I guess we all fight the battle of the bulge!

A lot of people have been complaining about the heat and humidity lately, but if you know me at all, you know this is my favourite!  HHH (hazy, hot and humid) days just allow for more oppourtunites to spend time at the pool and beach, which Andee and I have taken advantage of!  I can only coerce a few friends to join me at the beach (all Canadians, apparently we love the beach), as the others are not a fan of the sticky hot weather.  At least us Canadians can enjoy it!  George Wyth beach and my favourite lane swimming pool have seen a lot of me lately, and I will continue to go until the weather forces me away!  Beach Bum for life!!

Andee and I also recently had the oppourtunity to see an incredible vocalist/worship leader/musician Danny Gokey!  He originally had his start on American Idol, and had actually lost his wife about a month before his audition.  He now uses his amazing gift for music to impact so many lives with encouragement to know that there is hope in the midst of suffering, and he has a first hand account of this.  Also, his vocal abilities are absolutely phenominal, and we were even able to get a picture and signed book with Danny Gokey after the concert was over!  Such a fun evening!

We were also able to celebrate friends on their new engagements and marriages!  With our Small Group, we celebrated Juan and Nicole's marriage with a wedding shower, and they were recently married in Michigan.  With Andee's Residency friends, we celebrated Eman and her wedding reception.  So great to celebrate with friends!

Speaking of celebrations, Andee and I joined the Third Year Residents as they celebrated their completion of the Northeast Iowa Family Medicine Residency Program!  The struggle is real - and were they ever excited to be moving on to their next adventures!  It was great to see the Residency crew, hear about their quirky personalities, and to dress up and be served a delicious dinner and dessert!  A good time was had by all!

This past weekend was the Sturgis Falls Festival, an annual event in Cedar Falls with live music, fried food, craft booths, rides, games, and a parade!  A few of us attended the parade on Saturday morning, and despite the incredibly hot temperatures, had a good time!  And guess who held a Worship Service at the festival?  Prairie Lakes Church!  I was a part of the Worship Team for this event, and though it was yet another sticky hot day, there were quite a few people that made it out to the outdoor service!  It was really fun to do something like this out in the community, and only in Iowa would there be that much worship music at a public event!  I love it!

So there you have it - fun in the sun in Iowa!  In the daily routine of life, Andee has remained pretty busy at work, but we've come to expect this after two years of residency.  Can you believe it has been two years already?  Today, July 1st (Canada Day!), Andee will officially be in his last year of residency!  Can I get an Amen!?  So as we and all our Canadians celebrate Canada, we will also be celebrating Andee's hard work and tenacity in transitioning into a Third-Year Resident!  Let the Senior-itis begin!