Happy Canada Day! Our Summer Canada Vacation!

Happy Canada Day!  A couple days late, but still in the Canada spirit, especially since Andee and I were able to spend two weeks in our native land this summer!  We decided to drive to Canada all in one shot, surprising/scaring a home-alone Cassie when we knocked on the door at nearly midnight!  We had made it home!  Here are some of the highlights!

The next morning we were able to make it to te reception of Matthew's Baptism, April and Darryl's sweet little boy!  And since our last visit to Canada over Christmas, Matthew had made his entrance into the world, which meant that this was my and Andee's first oppourtunity to meet him!  What a sweet and happy baby boy!  A wonderful morning visiting friends!

We were able to visit lots of friends and family during our 2 week stay!  My favourite part of the trip was our 4-day excursion to my parent's newly renovated cottage!  New windows, walls, flooring, and lots more was waiting for us when we arrived!  It looked awesome!  The whole fam had some time off to enjoy my favourite place to be!  We played frisbee, washer toss, played at the beach and in the lake, had a bonfire, ate lots of Kawartha Dairy ice cream by the Falls, and just had a wonderful time!  So thankful for the family time, summer, and the cottage!!

Another occasion to celebrate was Mary-Kate's graduation from college!  She worked very hard at school and her internship these past few years, and we are so proud of her accomplishments!  Congratulations Mary-Kate!

We tried very hard to fit in a trip to another gem that I just can't get enough of - Jungle Cat World!  A small zoo with all different kinds of big and small cats, and a few other animals too!  Obviously, I love this place!  Cassie and I made the trip on a beautiful sunny morning to visit all our favourite big cats, monkeys, llamas, and much more!  The best!

On my 'Canada list', as usual, was to have a Timmy's date!  We were able to try the new chocolate chill and oreo iced capp drinks, as well as the oreo and maple donuts, and standard chocolate chip muffin.  Everything was SO delicious, and having just one will have to tide us over to the next Canada vacation!

We were also able to spend a little bit of time with some friends!  We missed them!  We were gifted with a fantastic sunny day to spend some time outside just chatting and enjoying each others company!  We love you!

We really had a wonderful time in Canada visiting so many more people than these pictures suggest!  I always struggle with the changes involved with a somewhat shared loyalty to two different worlds, but the struggle at this point has come very much to be expected.  And so I will quote one of my favourite people, "To nobody's surprise, I like things to stay the same" - Auntie Anne.  Couldn't have said it better myself!  However, these shared loyalties have opened us up to so many people that we love so much that have been or currently are a wonderful part of our lives.  We are happy to be back home in Iowa, but always miss our Canada friends and family while we are here!

And as per usual, here are some adorable 'Canada Cat' pictures for your enjoyment!

Minneapolis!!

Guess where we were this past weekend?  In Minneapolis, Minnesota to see our beloved Toronto Blue Jays play the Minnesota Twins!  Andee had the weekend off, (a rarity these past couple of months) and so we made the 3 1/2 hour drive up North for a fun couple of days out of our usual routine!  To the surprise of almost every Iowan we spoke with, we had never been up to Minnesota before.  We're from Canada, eh!  Give us a break!

We arrived to our hotel just after 4pm on Friday afternoon after Andee worked in the morning, quickly put on our Blue Jays gear, and headed to the game!  Unfortunately, it had been raining for most of the day in Minneapolis, and so when we arrived at Target Field there were no Blue Jays warming up on the field, and only the dreaded white tarp remained.  Good thing we came prepared!  We were equipped with towels, sweaters, coats, and ponchos, and even with the hour rain delay we were actually quite comfortable in our seats!  There were so many Canadian Blue Jays fans around us that when the Jays took the lead late into the game, an audible "Let's Go Blue Jays" chant emerged from the crowd!  Between fighting rush hour traffic and chatting with other Canadians, we actually felt a little bit at home up in Minneapolis!  And all the preparedness paid off, as we were able to watch a Jays 6-4 win over the Twins in the top of the 9th!  And to top it all off, a fireworks show ended off a great evening!  Excellent start, Minneapolis!

The next morning we enjoyed a delicious breakfast at the hotel, and headed to the Mall of America!  We arrived about an hour before most of the stores opened, and so we spent a while just walking around and enjoying everything there was to see.  An amusement park in the middle of the mall, tons of stores and restaurants, and lots of mall walkers!  Since we are not much for shopping, a couple hours on Saturday and Sunday just about did it for us!  If it weren't for Andee's keen sense of direction, I'm not sure I would have ever found our car!

Since we had a rainy ball game the day before, we decided to pay one more visit to Target Field to watch the Jays!  There were just as many, if not more Blue Jays fans at the Saturday game, and even just hearing Canadian voices, phrases, and common goals made my heart smile!  We had a nice sunny seat in the outfield, and though it was a bit hot and sunny for our poor Canadian skin, it was a wonderful experience!  Unfortunately, the Jays can't win them all, and they ended up losing to the Twins 3-2.  Still fun to watch!

After the game, we headed back to the hotel to change into some dressier clothes for our evening dinner date!  We made reservations for a fun fondue restaurant called 'The Melting Pot', and thoroughly enjoyed our experience!  We started with a cheese fondue with vegetables, breads, and artisan meats, and finished off with a chocolate fondue with marshmallows, fruits, cakes and brownies!  It was both delicious and fun!  We rounded out the evening with a walk around downtown Minneapolis, and back to our hotel for a little R&R!  Another excellent day in Minneapolis! 

The following day was a little more low-key, as we participated in some mall walking in the morning, and then headed out to lunch!  We decided on a local favorite called the 'Juicy Lucy', which is sliced American cheese in between two burger patties.  Kind of like an in-side-out cheeseburger, with a delicious melty cheesy center!  We enjoyed the burger with an order of onion straws, and didn't even come close to finishing our order of one burger and an appetizer.  Oh America, we will definitely never go hungry! 

After lunch it was time to head home, as Andee started his night float shift at 6pm on Sunday.  We arrived home to a chatty kitty, as our Aloe Cat missed us while we were gone!  Lots of snuggles and mews ensued, and we were happy to be reunited as a family!  Overall, we had a great weekend enjoying Minneapolis and enjoying each other during some uncommon time off together!  Speaking of time off together, we are getting incredibly excited for our vacation to Canada in less than 2 weeks!  Bring on the hot Summer weather, cottage time, and family and friends fun!