Summer in Canada!

Last week I had the amazing opportunity to take a trip back home to Canada!!  Instead of the usual roadtrip with Andee, this time I traveled by plane - and traveled solo!  I flew with Porter Airlines, which meant that I boarded at the smaller Chicago and Toronto airports, allowing for an extremely quick and easy process!  After nightmare-ish experiences with American Airlines at the major airports in Toronto, Miami, and St. Kitts, this was quite the treat!  We even got free drinks and snacks, and the flight was only an hour and a half!  I am definitely sticking to Porter if I can from now on!    

Upon landing in Toronto, I was greeted to my luggage waiting for me, and a beautiful ferry ride from the airport to downtown with a gorgeous view of the Toronto skyline, complete with the CN Tower and the Rogers Centre!  HOME!!

After braving rush hour traffic in downtown Toronto for far too long, Cassie arrived to pick me up and whisked me away straight to the cottage (after picking up Nicky in Ajax) where my parents were waiting patiently to take us out for dinner!  We had a wonderful dinner at the Fallsview restaurant in downtown Fenelon Falls starting with a beautiful view of the falls, a warm and sunny day, and a delicious seafood alfredo and pizza meal!  We finished off the evening with Mennonites cinnamon buns for dessert, and a family game of euchre!  An excellent start to a wonderful week in Canada!!

The next day was a gorgeous warm summer day in which we spent the majority of the time at the beach!  It is always a good day when transitioning straight from pajamas to bathing suits!  We headed down to the beach in the morning, and with the exception of a quick lunch break, we stayed there until dinner!  Tons of the extended family were there, and we spent the day chatting and lounging in the sun, floating around, and swimming out to the floating dock!  I love the cottage!!  We then had my grandparents over for dinner and had a wonderful time catching up, as well as a delicious surprise of date squares from my Grandma!  We headed back to Ajax later in the evening, and definitely had a successful cottage weekend!!  CANADA!!

On Monday I headed out to brunch with Lori and Cassie, only to be extremely dissapointed with the dreaded Angelique's Monday close that is constantly forgotten about.  We begrudgingly picked out a new brunch location, and determined that it was a close (not so close) second to Angelique's, but still a valiant effort!  Cassie then headed off to work, Lori and I chatted a while longer, and then I spent the afternoon with Mom!  For dinner, I was picked up by Dave and Arielle and we joined the high school gang for dinner!!  It was so nice catching up with friends that we don't see often enough!

I also had the opportunity of working three days of the week as a Dental Hygienist!  Another great thing about Canada - I can work!  I ended up making back substantially more than the cost of the flight, and so ended up on top for the week!  How often does that happen in the life of a student?  Never.  So happy to use the skills and schooling I learned!  I also had a hot tub family evening and a sleepover at Dave and Arielle's when I was finished working, adding to the severe lack of sleep that always accompanies fun-filled vacations!  Worth it, for sure!

On Thursday after work I was picked up by my parents and after a short packing break, we headed back up to the cottage again!  Cassie joined us Friday early afternoon, and we had a wonderful family day soaking up the sun on the floating raft and listening to (and singing along to) wonderful cottage-y music!  We finished off the day with a family (+ Nicky) game of Clue, and had yet another wonderful Canadian summer day at the cottage!

The following day was my last day of vacation, and we definitely made the most of it!  A family photo shoot, beach day, ice cream in town, bonfire, and a game of euchre (which Cassie and I won!) made for a perfect ending to the trip!

On Sunday we woke up, packed, and headed for the airport from the cottage.  I am so blessed to have been able to fly back home to Canada to see my family, while actually making money in the process!  I had such a wonderful week taking advantage of everything Canada - and have so many amazing memories and pictures to look back on!  Canada is still my favorite place in the world, and God-willing, we will eventually get back home.  But until then, I had a Husband and a cat back in Illinois to come home to that had been truly missed!  I was greeted to a smiling Andee at the airport, and a purring Aloe at the apartment!  Puuurfect!  Until next time Canada!!

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!!

We're Back!

We are back!!  Back in Illinois, back to work, and best of all, back in our APARTMENT!!  After two long months of being displaced from our home, we were finally reunited with our beloved apartment!  And along with that came our closet, no longer living out of a suitcase, our apartment amenities such as the pool, fishing, boating, etc., and best of all, one happy little cat!  Aloe missed our apartment probably more than we did, and immediately upon entering the front door began purring and rubbing up against us wanting love and pets!  After pretty much ignoring us other than in the mornings for the past 2 months, it was a wonderful change getting to see Aloe's real personality back!  He is so cuddly and affectionate, and definitely glad to be home!!  God did use this unfortunate situation for a lot of good (of course!) by allowing us to develop great relationships with Joe and Amy, and allowing us to go back to Canada to see family and friends!  God is Good; all the while more interested in our character than our circumstances, and relationships over materials!  Praise God, we are back!!

Upon our return to Illinois after our impromptu trip to Canada, I was able to spend some time with Naomi and her kids before they headed off to Texas, and then PEI!  It was great to see old friends from St. Kitts, and I am so glad our paths continue to intersect in various countries!  Maybe someday we can meet up in both of our home country; Canada!

We were also able to attend a beautiful summer wedding of two Harvest Bible Staff members, Michelle and Scott!  It was a beautiful sunny and warm day, and the wedding decor and dinner were wonderful!  The bride looked absolutely beautiful, and we sat at a table with lots of other Harvest Staff!  It was so nice being able to spend some time with friends and celebrate a wonderful marriage!  Congratulations to Michelle and Scott!!

Andee and I were also able to enjoy a wonderful pastime that we love so much - Blue Jays Baseball!  We were treated by my parents to a Toronto Blue Jays vs Chicago White Sox Baseball game at US Cellular Field in Chicago!  Believe it or not, this was indeed our first trip to Chicago since living in the western suburbs!  It was an incredibly warm day, perfect baseball weather, and we ordered some delicious ballpark food including an Italian beef sandwich and a "bases loaded" baked potato!  Delish!  We were also thrilled to be in attendance to a Blue Jays WIN; in the 10th inning!  That's right; down my a run in the top of the 9th, 2 outs, and our bags packed ready to leave with a looming loss, who else than Jose Bautista hits a Home Run!!  Hallelujah!!  We cheered, high fived, hugged, "Lo Visted", and were overjoyed!!  The excitement continued when the White Sox were unable to answer in the bottom of the 9th, and the Jays scored 2 more unanswered runs in the 10th, sealing victory for our Blue Jays!!  We celebrated with other Jays fans in the crowd, and headed back home with 49 cent McDonalds cones!  The perfect ending to a perfect day!  Thanks so much Mom and Dad for treating us to this amazing experience!  Next stop, Wrigley Field!

Last Friday and Saturday, I also had the pleasure of working/volunteering for the Paul Tripp Parenting Conference held at Harvest Bible Chapel!  It was an incredible conference, filled with so much biblical wisdom and practical examples on how to really get down to the heart of parenting, not just temporarily changing behavior, but permanently changing the heart!  Myself and all the other attendees learned so much valuable information, I couldn't make my pen write fast enough to get it all down!  To top it all off, for volunteering at the Merchandise Table, we got to pick out three merchandise items to take home with us!  I was so taken by the parenting conference, that I took two parenting DVD's and the parenting book!  Does this say something about my and Andee's (distant, don't get any ideas!) future?  I think it does!  And now, with the wisdom of the Creator through the ministry of Paul Tripp, we are prepared!!

On Tuesday we took our second trip to Chicago under much more intimidating circumstances; Andee's Step 2 CS licencing exam!  A looming 8-hour practical exam that when passed, assumes that Andee is now 2/3 a licensed Doctor in the US!  Praise God!  One more American exam to go in August, as well as the Canadian licencing exam in September, and all that is left is applications, the Match, and graduation!  Okay, so that is still a lot, but we are still one step closer to God's perfect plan made complete in us!  Andee and I also suspiciously had the same dream the night before, arriving at a fork in the road and being forced down the dangerous path, leaving the easy path behind.  This suggested and confirmed what we have already been learning in this season of unknowns that the safe, easy path is not the way to an amplified faith walk with Jesus, but we need to constantly step out of our comfort zones for the Glory of God!  Personally, I cannot receive enough reminders of this amazing truth!  I really hope through my life and online through this blog that it is clear to all that God's perfect will is what we strive for, and that His Glory would be seen in every circumstance!  Praise God!

To conclude this blog, a wonderful and amazing realization that Summer is finally upon us!  With 30 degree (86 for all you Americans) weather for the next while, I am planning on parking myself at the pool whenever humanly possible and enjoying this short but beautiful Northern Climate Summer!  Let the pool days begin!!